Category: World

The bodies of a couple who set off on a sailing trip across the Atlantic Ocean have been found on a washed-up life raft almost six weeks after they were last seen.
Briton Sarah Packwood and her Canadian husband Brett Clibbery are thought to have abandoned their yacht and perished before washing up on Sable Island near Nova Scotia in Canada on 12 July.
The couple were reported missing on 18 June after leaving Nova Scotia in their 13m (42ft) eco-friendly yacht, Theros, a week earlier.
They were on the way to the Azores – about 3,228 km away – with the trip planned to take 21 days.

In a post on Facebook, Mr Clibbery’s son James confirmed the pair had died, saying that the last few days had been “very hard”.
He said the couple would be “forever missed”, adding: “There isn’t anything that will fill the hole that has been left by their, so far unexplained passing.”
It is unclear how the couple’s dream transatlantic crossing ended in tragedy. An investigation is still under way, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police told the BBC on Sunday.
One theory investigators are exploring is that the yacht was struck by a passing cargo ship that did not notice the collision, according to Canadian news website Saltwire.
“The sailboat crew were either unable to avoid collision” or they could have been down below with Theros on automatic pilot, an anonymous source told Saltwire.
The Canadian coastguard and military aircraft have not spotted wreckage or any sign of the boat, Saltwire reports.

In a video posted to their YouTube channel, Theros Adventures, the pair explained how their trip – dubbed the Green Odyssey – would rely on sails, solar panels, batteries and an electric engine repurposed from a car.
“We’re doing everything we can to show that you can travel without burning fossil fuels,” Mr Clibbery said in the video, posted on 12 April.
“It’s probably the biggest adventure of our lives so far,” Ms Packwood added.
The pair met by chance in London in 2015, when Mr Clibbery, a retired engineer, was preparing to donate a kidney to his sister.
They married in Canada on their yacht a year later, before affirming their vows in a traditional handfasting ceremony at Stonehenge in 2017, according to Ms Packwood’s personal blog.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c84jxgy8nmlo

An employee of Reuters, his wife and their two children were killed in a fire that broke out at their apartment in Kuwait City. The tragic incident took place late on July 19, the same day they returned from Kerala after vacation, local authorities said.

According to a report published by The Arab Times, the Indian couple — identified as Mathews Mulackal and his wife Lini Abraham — and their two children suffocated to death due to the fire caused by a short circuit in the air conditioner around 8 pm in their second-floor flat in Abbasiya area. They were all from Alappuzha district’s Neerattupuram.

“The family had returned to Kuwait from a vacation in Kerala, arriving around 4 pm local time on Friday (July 19). Mathews Mulackal worked at Reuters, while his wife Lini was a staff nurse at Adan Hospital in Al Ahmadi Governorate. Their children attended Bhavans School in Kuwait,” the newspaper said.

The Indian Embassy in Kuwait said it is in touch with the family in Kerala and will ensure the early repatriation of the mortal remains of the four Indians. “Mathew has been working there for the past 15 years. They left for Kuwait after their vacation on Thursday night (July 18) from Nedumbassery Airport,” a relative told the media in Kerala on Saturday (July 20).

The accident comes close on the heels of a devastating fire accident that claimed the lives of 45 Indians in a labour accommodation last month.

Source: https://www.news18.com/world/kuwait-two-children-among-4-members-of-indian-family-killed-in-apartment-fire-8973244.html

Greek Cypriots mourned and Turkish Cypriots rejoiced on Saturday, the 50th anniversary of Turkey’s invasion of part of the island after a brief Greek inspired coup, with the chances of reconciliation as elusive as ever.
The ethnically split island is a persistent source of tension between Greece and Turkey, which are both partners in NATO but are at odds over numerous issues.
Their differences were laid bare on Saturday, with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan attending a celebratory military parade in north Nicosia to mark the day in 1974 when Turkish forces launched an offensive that they call a “peace operation”. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was present for events in the south, where the events are noted as the anniversary of the ‘barbaric’ Turkish invasion.

Greek Cypriots want reunification as a federation. Turkish Cypriots want a two-state settlement.

“We have one aim: A Republic of Cyprus with a single sovereignty, a single international personality, a single nationality, in a bizonal, bicommunal federation, a single state where all citizens will be Cypriots and Europeans, without a foreign occupation army, without outdated guarantees,” Mitsotakis told a sombre event in the southern parts of Nicosia in remembrance of 1974.

Greece and Turkey recently agreed to discuss how to improve relations, but “the fact that we have been discussing, doesn’t mean that we agree and, more importantly, that we back down,” Mitsotakis said.
REMEMBERING THE DEAD

Cyprus gained independence from Britain in 1960, but a shared administration between Greek and Turkish Cypriots quickly fell apart in violence that saw Turkish Cypriots withdraw into enclaves and led to the dispatch of a U.N. peacekeeping force.

The crisis left Greek Cypriots running the internationally recognised Republic of Cyprus, a member of the European Union since 2004 with the potential to derail Turkey’s own decades-long aspirations of joining the bloc.

It also complicates any attempts to unlock energy potential in the eastern Mediterranean because of overlapping claims. The region has seen major discoveries of hydrocarbons in recent years.

Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, whose office represents the Greek Cypriot community in the reunification dialogue, said the anniversary was a sombre occasion for reflection and for remembering the dead. He also drew parallels with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to the events in Cyprus in 1974.

“The condemnable and unacceptable events we see happening in Ukraine today … were perpetrated 50 years ago in Cyprus and we are living its consequences every day,” he said.

Across the south, church services were held to remember the more than 3,000 people who died in the Turkish invasion.

“It was a betrayal of Cyprus and so many kids were lost. It wasn’t just my son, it was many,” said Loukas Alexandrou, 90, as he tended the grave of his son at a military cemetery.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/one-part-mourns-another-celebrates-cyprus-marks-50-years-since-split-2024-07-20/

The U.S. Secret Service said it had turned down requests from Donald Trump’s security detail for additional resources in the two years leading up to his attempted assassination last week, the New York Times reported on Saturday, citing a spokesman.
This is a reversal from earlier statements by the agency denying that such requests for the former president and Republican presidential nominee had been rebuffed, the newspaper said.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-secret-service-says-it-previously-denied-trump-requests-additional-resources-2024-07-21/

While Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan reaffirmed his country’s desire for a breakaway Turkish Cypriot state, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis called for a republic.

The leaders of Turkey and Greece took opposing stances to mark the 50th anniversary of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus – which led to the division of the island.

Attending a military parade in the northern part of the island, Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan celebrated the day in July 1974 when Turkish warships and troops launched an offensive on the Mediterranean island that Turkey calls a “peace operation”.

Speaking ahead of the parade, he ruled out a peace deal based on a United Nations-endorsed plan for a federation and reaffirmed his support for a two-state deal that Greek Cypriots dismiss as a non-starter.

Meanwhile, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was present for events in the island’s south, including the unveiling of memorials to fallen heroes, church services and a gathering at the Presidential Palace.

While Cyprus is an independent country in the EU, nearly four fifths of the population are Greek Cypriots and less than a fifth are Turkish Cypriots.

The source of tension between the two NATO nations occurred after power-sharing in Cyprus fell apart in 1963.

Subsequent fighting led to the division of the island between the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and the Greek Cypriot Republic of Cyprus.

Fast-forward 50 years and the two sides remain at odds about how to improve relations. Greek Cypriots want reunification as a federation while Turkish Cypriots want a two-state settlement.

Reaffirming his support for negotiations to establish a two-state solution, Mr Erdogan told crowds in the north of the capital, Nicosia, that Turkey was “ready for negotiations, to meet, and to establish long-term peace and resolution”.

He said a federal solution was not possible and Turkey would “continue to fight with determination for the recognition of the TRNC (breakaway Turkish Cypriot state)” – which is not internationally recognised.

Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar added that the breakaway state rejects “domination” by the Greek Cypriot majority and seeks “equal national status”.

Mr Erdogan’s remarks could further complicate efforts by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to get both sides back to the negotiating table. His personal envoy, Maria Angela Holguin Cuellar, has spent the past six months scoping both sides out.

Speaking on the south side of the divided capital, Mr Mitsotakis said Greece had one aim: “A republic of Cyprus with a single sovereignty, a single international personality, a single nationality, in a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation, a single state where all citizens will be Cypriots and Europeans, without a foreign occupation army, without outdated guarantees.”

The Turkish-Greek divide on the island was also felt in the UK as around 250 members of the Greek Cypriot community held a protest outside the Turkish embassy in central London calling for troops to leave.

Source: https://news.sky.com/story/turkeys-president-erdogan-rules-out-peace-deal-as-turks-and-greeks-mark-outbreak-of-war-that-left-cyprus-divided-13182129

A look at how Kamala Harris came to be vice president, why she is being touted for the top job and what her reaction has been.

Kamala Harris. Pic: Reuters
Kamala Harris cemented herself in US political history when she became the first woman to serve as vice president four years ago.

But as the 6 November election approaches and with questions being raised over Joe Biden’s fitness for office, rumours have circulated that the president’s campaign has been “quietly assessing” whether Ms Harris could take over from him as the democratic nominee.

The Biden campaign has insisted the US president will remain at the top of the ticket in November and it has “no plan for an alternative nominee” – but that may not be enough to stop speculation.

Here’s a look at how Ms Harris came to be vice president, why she is being touted for the top job and what her reaction has been.

Before vice presidency

The 59-year-old was born and raised in Oakland, California by Jamaican father Donald Harris and Indian mother Shyamala Gopalan.

Her parents, both immigrants, were highly respected in their fields – her mother as a breast cancer scientist and father an economics professor.

They divorced when she was seven and she was raised with her sister Maya by their mother in Berkeley.

Ms Harris says the pair took her to civil rights marches while she was “in a stroller,” growing her interest in law.

She went on to graduate from Howard University and the University of California Hastings College of Law.

She began her long career in law as a deputy district attorney between 1990 and 1998, specialising in prosecuting child sexual assault cases, but also working on homicide and robbery cases.

In 1998, Ms Harris was named managing attorney of a criminal unit at the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office before becoming head of the San Francisco City Attorney’s Division on Families and Children.

She became the first female district attorney for San Francisco in 2004. During her first three years in the position, the conviction rate in the city jumped from 52% to 67%.

She served for six years before being elected as attorney general of California, where she oversaw the largest state justice department in the country.

In 2016, she won the US Senate race in California, beating fellow Democrat Loretta Sanchez who had 20 years’ experience in Congress.

Here, she built a reputation around her work as a prosecutor and gained national attention during her forensic questioning of Trump administration officials including Jeff Sessions, and then Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

She had become a prominent politician by the time she launched a campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination in January 2019, going with the slogan “Kamala Harris for the People”.

Democrats saw her as a promising candidate to overthrow Donald Trump’s presidency in the 2020 election, but Ms Harris ultimately dropped out of the race in December 2019, blaming a lack of finances.

Joe Biden selected her as his running mate in August 2021, describing her as a “fearless fighter for the little guy”.

It made her the first black female running mate for the two major parties, and only the third female running mate for the two major parties in American history.

‘We did it, Joe!’

When Ms Harris was sworn into office with Biden she became not only the first woman to serve as vice president, but also the first black person and person of South Asian descent to take on the role and highest-ranking woman ever to serve in the American government.

In a touching moment after it was revealed Mr Biden won the presidential election, she called him while out running.

“We did it,” she said. “We did it, Joe! You’re going to be the next president of the United States.”

Source: https://news.sky.com/story/who-is-kamala-harris-us-vice-president-and-favoured-biden-successor-13181017

 

The Downtown Aquarium in Denver has a new resident — a rare orange lobster that was rescued from a shipment of crustaceans delivered to a Red Lobster restaurant in Pueblo, Colorado.

A long-term employee who is a dishwasher and head biscuit maker spotted the bright orange lobster while unpacking a shipment last Friday and alerted restaurant managers, aquarium officials said. The staff named it Crush after the Denver Broncos’ legendary Orange Crush defense from 1976 to 1986.

“Myself and many of my team are born and raised Denver Broncos fans, so as soon as we saw that orange color, we knew that Crush would be an excellent representation,” said Kendra Kastendieck, the restaurant’s general manager. “And we all want our defensive line to be that good again.”

When the Pueblo Zoo couldn’t take Crush, Kastendieck called the Downtown Aquarium, which she said was interested right away.

Kastendieck packed Crush with ice packs in a plastic foam container and delivered it to the aquarium on Wednesday.

“As soon as they acclimated him to his quarantine tank at the Denver aquarium, he was very active right off the bat and was really exploring his little area,” Kastendieck said Thursday.

Staff had set up a tank with a new generation Denver Broncos helmet on top and an older generation one sitting in the tank “so he can actually climb into it and play around it,” she said.

Crush will be examined by a veterinarian and after 30 days in quarantine will be placed in the “Lurks” exhibit that houses other cold water North Atlantic Ocean species, aquarium staff said.

“We are thrilled to be able to share this very rare and extraordinary animal with the community and visitors to Colorado,” Ryan Herman, general curator at Denver Downtown Aquarium, said in a statement.

Source: https://apnews.com/article/denver-aquarium-orange-lobster-crush-116b158ee773d84ce0211955f4b47f2a

The six-time world champion – who was nicknamed “Dracula” – is widely regarded as one of the greatest snooker players ever.

Six-time snooker world champion Ray Reardon has died at the age of 91.

The Welshman – widely regarded as one of the greatest snooker players ever – died on Friday after battling cancer, his wife Carol confirmed.

World Snooker said Reardon dominated the sport’s world championship in the 1970s in a similar manner to Steve Davis in the 1980s and Stephen Hendry in the 1990s.

Nicknamed “Dracula” due to his widow’s peak hairstyle, World Snooker said Reardon “was one of the most popular and charismatic figures of his era, loved by millions of fans for his brilliance on the table and good humour off it”.

Leading the tributes, snooker legend Jimmy White said: “Gutted to hear my very good friend Ray Reardon has passed away.

“A total class act and very kind to me when I was making my way in the game. A giant of the game. Rest in Peace mate.”

Three-time world champion Mark Williams said: “Ray is one of the best sports people ever from Wales and the best snooker player.

“He’s one of the reasons why a lot of us started playing. He put snooker on the map, alongside Alex Higgins, Jimmy White and Steve Davis.

“Anyone playing now owes them a lot because they brought popularity to the game. He is a real inspiration.”

‘True gentleman’

Mark Selby, a four-time world champion, tweeted: “Terribly sad news to hear the passing of Ray Reardon.

“Did not manage to be in his presence much, but what a legend of our sport. RIP Ray.”

Dennis Taylor, winner of the 1985 world championship, said: “So sad to hear of the passing of the great Ray Reardon. Would always be in my top 8 of all time.

“Had the pleasure of travelling around the world with a true gentleman. Condolences to all his family. RIP Ray.”

At least 105 people have been killed and thousands injured in the violence in Bangladesh this week. Internet and mobile services have been blocked as authorities crack down on demonstrations over the allocation of civil service jobs.

Bangladesh’s army has imposed a “shoot-at-sight” curfew across the country after days of clashes between student-led protesters and the police.

At least 105 people have been killed and thousands injured this week, according to data from hospitals around the south Asian country.

Internet and mobile services have been blocked since Thursday, cutting off Bangladesh from the rest of the world as the police continued to crack down on demonstrations since banning public gatherings.

The protests over the allocation of civil service jobs began weeks ago but erupted when violence broke out on Tuesday.

Since then police have fired tear gas and hurled stun grenades in an attempt to scatter protesters, while demonstrators threw bricks during clashes with officers and set fire to vehicles.

On Friday, the government imposed a strict national curfew and deployed the army.

A “shoot-at-sight” order has been put in place, giving security forces the authority to fire on protesters in extreme cases, according to Obaidul Quader, the general secretary of the ruling Awami League party.

Some TV news channels were also taken off the air and the websites of most Bangladesh newspapers were not loading or being updated.

Local media said some 800 inmates broke out of a prison in Narsingdi, north of the capital Dhaka, after protesters stormed the jail and set it on fire on Friday.

The protests have been driven by anger among youths who lack good jobs after graduation.

The protesters are calling for the state to end a quota system that sets aside up to 30% of government jobs for veterans who fought in Bangladesh’s war of independence from Pakistan in 1971.

They argue the system favours allies of the country’s ruling party, which led the independence movement, and want it to be replaced by a merit-based system.

Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has defended the system, saying veterans deserve the greatest respect for their contributions during the war, regardless of their political affiliation.

International rights groups have criticised the actions of security forces and the suspension of internet services. The European Union said it is deeply concerned by the violence and loss of life.

Representatives from both sides met late on Friday in an attempt to find a resolution.

The country’s law minister Anisul Huq said the government was open to discussing the student leaders’ demands, which included a reform of the quota system, an opening of student dormitories across the country and for university officials to step down for failing to prevent violence on campuses.

Source: https://news.sky.com/story/bangladesh-army-imposes-shoot-at-sight-curfew-after-deadly-protests-13181751

Hadid was modelling a shoe first created for athletes in the 1972 Munich Olympics, during which Palestinian terrorists killed 11 Israeli athletes and a German police officer.

Bella Hadid’s new Adidas campaign has been pulled after being called “sick” and an “egregious error”.

The US supermodel had been the face of the campaign for a relaunched shoe from the 1972 Munich Olympics.

At those Olympic games, Palestinian terrorists from the group Black September killed 11 Israeli athletes and a German police officer.

The criticism comes with Hadid – whose father is Palestinian – being a vocal critic of Israel and frequently speaking out against the Israel-Hamas War on social media.

She and her sister Gigi Hadid donated $1m to Palestinian relief efforts last month.

Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs heavily criticised Hadid’s appearance in the campaign on social media.

The American Jewish Committee called on Adidas to “address this egregious error” in a post on X.

It added: “For Adidas to pick a vocal anti-Israel model to recall this dark Olympics is either a massive oversight or intentionally inflammatory. Neither is acceptable.”

The SL 72 campaign, unveiled on Monday, revived the “classic” trainer that was first created for Adidas athletes at the Munich Olympics.

An ad that appeared across Adidas platforms and a Times Square billboard featured Hadid wearing the trainers while holding flowers.

“[T]o have her launch a shoe commemorating an Olympics when so much Jewish blood was shed is just sick,” said Sacha Roytman, the chief executive of the Combat Antisemitism Movement.

Anti-Defamation League chief executive Jonathan Greenblatt called Adidas’s decision a “serious misjudgment that dishonors the victims”.

Source: https://news.sky.com/story/supermodel-bella-hadids-adidas-campaign-pulled-after-being-called-sick-13181317

China’s President Xi Jinping orders an all-out rescue effort following the disaster in Shaanxi province, with some 30 people still missing.

At least 11 people have been killed and dozens more are missing after a highway bridge collapsed in northwest China, authorities have said.

China’s President Xi Jinping has ordered an all-out rescue effort following the disaster in Shaanxi province, which happened around 8.40pm local time on Friday and followed heavy storms and flooding.

Rescue operations were under way on Saturday in the province’s Zhashui county, with some 20 cars and 30 people still missing, Xinhua News Agency said.

Five vehicles that fell off the bridge have been recovered, according to the state media outlet,

The agency released a photo showing a section of the bridge had snapped and fallen at an almost 90-degree angle into the rushing water below.

China’s national fire and rescue authority said it had sent a rescue team to the site, including more than 850 emergency workers, 90 vehicles, 20 boats and 41 drones.

Source: https://news.sky.com/story/bridge-collapses-in-china-at-least-11-people-dead-and-dozens-missing-13181707

An emotionally and physically abusive marriage of 11 years led Rani Miranti to join a fight club that has trained her in martial arts, enabling her to stand up against violence.

Miranti is one of the growing number of Indonesian women who are taking self-defense classes as gender-based violence remains a challenge in the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation.

“Government protection usually comes after violence has happened, while we never know when it will come,” said the 38-year-old single parent of three children. “Unfortunately, when it suddenly comes, no one can help. So, we need to have self-defense capabilities.”

The National Commission on Violence Against Women, known as Komnas Perempuan, recorded 289,111 cases last year, a decrease of around 12% from 339,782 in 2022, the year when a law on sexual violence was enacted.

However, the commission suggested the latest data represents “a tip of the iceberg” in gender-based violence. The true number of cases is suspected to be significantly higher, it said in the 2023 Komnas Perempuan annual report released in March.

A large number of cases went unreported because of several factors: limited access for victims to complaint services, a weak case documentation system, and a high level of social stigma toward victims of violence, the report said.

Indonesia’s Parliament approved a far-reaching law in 2022 that sets punishment for sexual violence and guarantees provisions, restitution or other remedies for victims and survivors.

The law was passed a week after an Indonesian high court sentenced an Islamic boarding school principal to death for raping at least 13 students over five years and impregnating some of them. The girls were between 11 and 14 years old and were raped over several years, drawing public outcry over why he wasn’t caught earlier.

In July, Indonesia’s electoral commission fired its chair after finding him guilty of sexual assault following a complaint by an employee. It was the latest in a series of the country’s high-profile cases of violence against women in a vast archipelago nation of more than 277 million people.

With cases growing, more Indonesian women and girls who feared physical violence turned to alternative ways of ensuring their safety, including self-defense classes and clubs.

For Miranti, whose husband repeatedly attacked and physically abused her, Muay Thai is the most suitable self-defense, as it helps her gain more skills, self-confidence and prevention techniques.

Wearing a red hijab and boxing gloves, the teacher in a Jakarta Islamic primary school demonstrated her skill in pounding a heavy bag and kicking toward her sparring partner. It’s part of her training routine in a mixed martial arts course in eastern Jakarta, where she enrolled almost two years ago after she decided to get out of her abusive marriage in 2018.

With origins in Thailand, Muay Thai is a form of kickboxing that includes knee and elbow strikes, kicks and punches.

“Now, I have a way. … I have the skill to fight back,” Miranti said. “But even more importantly, I have learned to avoid situations by being more aware of my surroundings.”

Miranti’s female coach, Rahimatul Hasanah, said she was overwhelmed by the increasing demand of women who want to learn martial arts, especially in private training, as female Muay Thai instructors are hard to find.

“Many aren’t going to feel comfortable to be coached by male instructors, or need a private class at home,” she added.

She said that most of the women who have attended her self-defense classes are timid, with some experiencing abuse in the past.

“Learning physical self-defense not only gives the tools to control their reactions to negative situations, but also can build the confidence for mental defense too,” Hasanah said.

Her husband, professional MMA fighter Rizal Zulmi, said the rising trend of women who are learning martial arts shows abusers and criminals that “not all women are easy prey.”

The pair of martial arts coaches opened BKT Fight Club three years ago with around 40 students.

Source: https://apnews.com/article/indonesia-gender-based-violence-martial-arts-b8122bdb2c55fcb99b818a9e16a76065

Microsoft says it estimates that 8.5m computers around the world were disabled by the global IT outage.
It’s the first time a figure has been put on the incident and suggests it could be the worst cyber event in history.
The glitch came from a security company called CrowdStrike which sent out a corrupted software update to its huge number of customers.
Microsoft, which is helping customers recover said in a blog post: “we currently estimate that CrowdStrike’s update affected 8.5 million Windows devices.”

The post by David Weston, vice-president at the firm, says this number is less than 1% of all Windows machines worldwide, but that “the broad economic and societal impacts reflect the use of CrowdStrike by enterprises that run many critical services”.

The company can be very accurate on how many devices were disabled by the outage as it has performance telemetry to many by their internet connections.

The tech giant – which was keen to point out that this was not an issue with its software – says the incident highlights how important it is for companies such as CrowdStrike to use quality control checks on updates before sending them out.

“It’s also a reminder of how important it is for all of us across the tech ecosystem to prioritize operating with safe deployment and disaster recovery using the mechanisms that exist,” Mr Weston said.

The fall out from the IT glitch has been enormous and was already one of the worst cyber-incidents in history.

The number given by Microsoft means it is probably the largest ever cyber-event, eclipsing all previous hacks and outages.

The closest to this is the WannaCry cyber-attack in 2017 that is estimated to have impacted around 300,000 computers in 150 countries. There was a similar costly and disruptive attack called NotPetya a month later.

There was also a major six-hour outage in 2021 at Meta, which runs Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp. But that was largely contained to the social media giant and some linked partners.

The massive outage has also prompted warnings by cyber-security experts and agencies around the world about a wave of opportunistic hacking attempts linked to the IT outage.

Cyber agencies in the UK and Australia are warning people to be vigilant to fake emails, calls and websites that pretend to be official.

And CrowdStrike head George Kurtz encouraged users to make sure they were speaking to official representatives from the company before downloading fixes.

“We know that adversaries and bad actors will try to exploit events like this,” he said in a blog post.

Whenever there is a major news event, especially one linked to technology, hackers respond by tweaking their existing methods to take into account the fear and uncertainty.

According to researchers at Secureworks, there has already been a sharp rise in CrowdStrike-themed domain registrations – hackers registering new websites made to look official and potentially trick IT managers or members of the public into downloading malicious software or handing over private details.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpe3zgznwjno

A 12-year-old girl in Tennessee has been charged with murder, accused of smothering her 8-year-old cousin as the younger girl slept. A relative said they had been arguing over an iPhone.

A security camera recorded the killing, inside the bedroom they shared on July 15 in Humboldt, Tennessee, the county prosecutor said.

The recording shows the older child using bedding to suffocate her cousin as the younger girl slept in the top bunk, Gibson District Attorney Frederick Agee’s statement said. After the child died, “the juvenile cleaned up the victim and repositioned her body,” Agee said.

A relative told WREG-TV in Memphis that the girls had been arguing over an iPhone after coming from out of town to stay with their grandmother.

The girl was charged with first-degree murder and tampering with evidence after authorities obtained the video on Wednesday.

Khalid has been denied bail twice by the trial court and once by the High Court.

Former Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) scholar Umar Khalid has approached the Delhi High Court seeking bail in the Delhi riots conspiracy case.

The case is listed for hearing before the Division Bench of Justices Prathiba M Singh and Amit Sharma on July 22 (Monday).

Khalid was arrested in September 2020 and charged with criminal conspiracy, rioting, unlawful assembly as well as several other offences under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). He has been in jail since then.

This is the second round of his bail plea.

The trial court had first denied bail to him in March 2022. He then approached the High Court which also denied him relief in October 2022, prompting him to file an appeal before the top court.

In May 2023, the Supreme Court sought the response of the Delhi Police in the matter. His plea before the top court was then adjourned 14 times.

On February 14, 2024 he withdrew his bail plea from the Supreme Court citing a change in circumstances.

Source: https://www.barandbench.com/news/umar-khalid-delhi-high-court-bail-delhi-riots-conspiracy-case

Israeli fighter jets struck Houthi military targets near Yemen’s Hodeidah port on Saturday, killing at least three people and wounding 87, a day after a drone launched by the Iranian-backed group hit Israeli economic hub Tel Aviv.
Most of the wounded suffered severe burns in air strikes that targeted oil facilities and a power station, Al-Masirah TV, the main television news outlet run by Yemen’s Houthi movement, quoted the health ministry as saying.

Israel had informed allies before the strike, which the military said was carried out by Israeli F-15 fighters that all returned safely.

The Houthis’ Supreme Political Council said there would be an “effective response” to the strikes. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the Houthis “will not hesitate to strike vital targets of the Israeli enemy.”

The strike on Yemen, which Israeli officials said came after more than 200 Houthi attacks on Israel, underlined fears that the Gaza war, triggered by the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, could spiral into a regional conflict.

“The fire that is currently burning in Hodeidah is seen across the Middle East and the significance is clear,” Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said in a statement.
“The Houthis attacked us over 200 times. The first time that they harmed an Israeli citizen, we struck them. And we will do this in any place where it may be required.”
On Friday, a long-range Iranian-made drone launched from Yemen hit the centre of Tel Aviv in an attack claimed by the Houthis, killing one man and wounding four others.
That attack followed an escalation in the daily exchange of fire between Israeli forces and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia in southern Lebanon and came as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepares to travel to Washington, where he is due to address the U.S. Congress.

Netanyahu called on the international community to step up pressure on Tehran and its proxies – the Houthis, Hamas and Hezbollah – and in so doing help secure international trade routes.
“Whoever wants to see a stable and safe Middle East needs to stand against Iran’s axis of evil, and support Israel’s struggle against Iran and its proxies,” Netanyahu said.
Meanwhile, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Nasser Kanaani, condemned the Israeli attacks and “warned against the risk of escalation of tension and the spread of war in the region as a result of the dangerous adventurism of the Zionists,” Iranian state media reported.
In a statement, Hezbollah also condemned the attack on Hodeidah, describing it as “a foolish step … that marks a new and dangerous phase of the extremely important ongoing confrontation.”
As the war in Gaza has gone on, the Houthis have stepped up attacks against Israel and Western targets, saying they are acting in solidarity with the Palestinians.
They began attacking Western ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Their attacks have upended global trade by forcing ship owners to reroute vessels away from the vital Suez Canal shortcut, and drawn retaliatory U.S. and British strikes since February.
“A brutal Israeli aggression targeted civilian buildings, oil facilities and power station in Hodeidah aiming at pressuring Yemen to stop supporting Gaza,” Mohammed Abdulsalam, chief negotiator for Houthi movement, said on X.
He said the attack would “only increase our determination, steadfastness, (and) continuity”.
A Saudi ministry of defence spokesperson said that the kingdom was not involved in or participating in the targeting of Hodeidah, adding Saudi Arabia “will not allow its airspace to be infiltrated by any party” whatsoever.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/houthi-tv-says-israeli-airstrikes-target-yemens-hodeidah-port-2024-07-20/

Donald Trumpheld his first campaign rally on Saturday since he narrowly escaped an assassination attempt one week ago, mocking Democrats and comparing former Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to a “dog.”
After briefly calling for national unity earlier this week, Trump has since returned to his usual campaign tactics — using insulting and sometimes offensive language to attack his opponents, and repeating a string of false claims about immigration, the economy and election fraud, major elements of his speech on Saturday.

Fresh from his nominating convention in Milwaukee where his takeover of the Republican Party was cemented, Trump appeared in Grand Rapids with his new vice presidential pick, Senator J.D. Vance from Ohio. They took the stage in their first campaign event together with the Republican Party unified behind them.

In contrast, it is no longer certain that Biden will be the Democratic Party’s nominee facing Trump in the Nov. 5 election.

Biden has faced calls from some senior Democrats to end his re-election bid after his poor debate performance last month raised concerns over whether he could beat Trump or complete another four-year term.
Many Democrats fear Biden may not have a realistic path to victory and that the party needs a new candidate to take on Trump.
Trump attacked Democrats, saying they wanted to kick Biden off the ticket after he won their presidential nominating contest.

“They have a couple of problems. No. 1, they have no idea who their candidate is,” Trump said to laughter and jeers. “This guy goes and he gets the votes and now they want to take it away.”
Referring to Pelosi, Trump said: “She’s turned on him like a dog. She’s as crazy as a bed bug.”
Pelosi’s office did not immediately return a request for comment.
Steven Cheung, a Trump campaign spokesman, when asked for a comment on Trump’s “dog” remark, wrote: “Hahahahahahaha.”
Trump referred to the assassination attempt several times on Saturday. “I hope I don’t have to go through that again. It was so horrible,” Trump said.
Opinion polls show a tight race between Trump and Biden at a national level but Biden trailing in the battleground states that will likely determine the winner.
The rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, last weekend was outdoors. At that event, the gunman was able to scale the roof of a building outside the Secret Service perimeter before opening fire on Trump, clipping his ear, killing a rally-goer and wounding several others.
The Secret Service, which is responsible for protecting Trump, declined to comment on security for the Grand Rapids event. An investigation is under way into the security failures at the Butler rally.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-hold-first-campaign-rally-after-assassination-attempt-2024-07-20/

Tshiring Jangbu Sherpa cannot forget the dead body he saw just metres from the summit of Mount Lhotse in the Himalayas more than a decade ago.

The Nepali was working as a guide for a German climber trying to scale the world’s fourth highest mountain in May 2012. The body blocking their path was thought to be Milan Sedlacek, a Czech mountaineer who’d perished just a few days earlier.

Mr Sherpa was curious why the Czech climber had died so close to the top. One of the gloves on the frozen corpse was missing.

“The bare hand might have slipped awa

from the rope,” the guide says. “He might have been killed after losing his balance and crashing onto the rock.”
The body stayed where it was – and every climber scaling Mount Lhotse thereafter had to step past it.

Mr Sherpa, 46, had no idea then that he would return 12 years later to retrieve the climber’s body, as part of a team of a dozen military personnel and 18 sherpas deployed by the Nepali army to clean up the high Himalayas.

There have been more than 300 deaths in the Everest region since records of mountain climbing there began a century ago, and many of these bodies remain. The death toll has kept increasing: eight people have been killed so far this year; and 18 died in 2023, according to Nepal’s tourism department.

The government first launched the clean-up campaign in 2019, which included removing some bodies of dead climbers. But this year was the first time that authorities set a goal to retrieve five bodies from the so-called “death zone”, above an altitude of 8,000m (26,247 feet).

In the end the team – who subsisted on water, chocolate and sattu, a mixture of chickpea, barley and wheat flour – retrieved four bodies.

One skeleton and 11 tonnes of rubbish were removed at lower attitudes after a 54-day operation that ended on 5 June.

“Nepal has received a bad name for the garbage and dead bodies which have polluted the Himalayas on a grave scale,” Major Aditya Karki, the leader of this year’s operation, told BBC Nepali.

The campaign also aims to improve safety for the climbers.

Maj Karki says many have been startled by the sight of bodies – last year, one mountaineer could not move for half an hour after seeing a dead body on the way to Mount Everest.

Cost and difficulties

Many people cannot afford to retrieve the bodies of relatives who have died on mountains in Nepal. Even if they have the financial means, most private companies refuse to help get bodies from the death zone because it is too dangerous.

The military allocated five million rupees ($37,400; £29,000) this year to retrieve each body. Twelve people are needed to lower a body from 8,000m, with each needing four cylinders of oxygen. One cylinder costs more than $400, meaning that $20,000 is needed for oxygen alone.

Every year, there is only about a 15-day window during which climbers can ascend and descend from 8,000 metres, as the winds slow down during the transition between wind cycles. In the death zone, the wind speed often exceeds 100 km per hour.

After locating the bodies, the team mostly worked after nightfall because they did not want to disturb other mountaineers. In the Everest region, which also consists of Lhotse and Nuptse, there is only one single ladder and ropeway for people climbing up and down from base camp.

“It was very tough to bring back the bodies from the death zone,” Mr Sherpa says. “I vomited sour water many times. Others kept coughing and others got headaches because we spent hours and hours at very high altitude.”

At 8,000m, even strong Sherpas can carry only up to 25kg (55 pounds), less than 30% of their capacity at lower altitudes.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9r31g50xqdo

There was little to indicate what had happened on the fifth floor of the Grand Hyatt Erawan in Bangkok until police officers opened the door.

No-one was heard to scream, or had rung for help. No-one had even made it to the door.

Even inside, there were apparently no signs of struggle – the untouched late lunch still laid out neatly on the table for the occupants to enjoy.

From outside of Room 502, the only clue to the horror inside the locked room was the fact the group were late checking out of the hotel.

And yet inside were six bodies, alongside tea cups laced with cyanide.

It didn’t take officers long to work out the occupants of the room had drunk the poisoned tea, or to find out who the apparent victims were.

But days after police revealed the grim discovery, big questions remain: why them – and who did it?

Who are the six people who died?

Four of the victims are Vietnamese nationals – Thi Nguyen Phuong, 46, her husband Hong Pham Thanh, 49, Thi Nguyen Phuong Lan, 47, and Dinh Tran Phu, 37.

The other two are American citizens of Vietnamese origin – Sherine Chong, 56, and Dang Hung Van, 55.

According to investigators, Chong was believed to have borrowed 10 million baht ($280,000; £215,000) from husband and wife Hong Pham Thanh and Thi Nguyen Phuong to invest in a hospital building project in Japan. The couple, who owned a construction business, had apparently tried in vain to get their money back.

In fact, the matter was due to go to court in Japan in a matter of weeks.
On the face of it, this meeting appeared to be an attempt to discuss the issue in advance of the case.

Thi Nguyen Phuong Lan was there because Chong – who US media have said lived in Oakland, California – had asked her to act as her intermediary with the couple regarding the investment.

But how were the other two linked to the case?

Dinh Tran Phu – a successful make-up artist whose clientele includes movie stars, singers and beauty queens in Vietnam – was at the gathering working for Chong.

His father, speaking to BBC Vietnamese, emphasised the fact he had travelled to Thailand with his regular clients, not with strangers.

A close friend, meanwhile, said he knew both Thi Nguyen Phuong and Thi Nguyen Phuong Lan, having introduced them to treatments at a friend’s spa in Da Nang, where he lived.

Dang Hung Van’s participation in the hotel suite meeting was not immediately clear.

Police said there was a seventh name in the hotel reservation, the sister of one of the six. That person returned to Vietnam from Thailand last week and police said she was not involved in the incident.

What happened in their hotel suite?

The group checked into the hotel separately over the weekend and were assigned five rooms – four on the seventh floor, and one on the fifth.

Chong checked into Room 502 on Sunday. The five others visited her in her suite that day, but they headed back to their respective rooms for the night.

Before noon on Monday, Dang Hung Van ordered six cups of tea while Dinh Tran Phu, the make-up artist, ordered fried rice from their respective rooms. They asked that it be delivered to Room 502 at 14:00 local time.

A few minutes before 14:00, Chong started receiving the food orders at Room 502. She was alone in the suite at that time.

Police said she refused the waiter’s offer to brew tea for her party. The waiter also found that she “spoke very little and was visibly under stress”.

The rest of the group started arriving soon after. The couple went in lugging a suitcase.

At 14:17, all six could be seen by the door before it was shut. From then on, there was no sign of movement from inside.

They had been scheduled to check out on Monday but failed to do so.

Police entered the room at 16:30 on Tuesday and found the six dead on the floor.

The initial investigation found that two appeared to have tried get to the suite’s door, but failed to reach it in time.

All the bodies bore signs of cyanide poisoning, which can – in certain doses – kill within minutes. Their lips and nails had turned dark purple indicating a lack of oxygen, while their internal organs turned “blood red”, which is another sign of cyanide poisoning.

Investigators say there is “no other cause” that would explain their deaths “except for cyanide”.

Further tests are being carried out to determine the “intensity” of the deadly chemical and to rule out any other toxins.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1e57w7jkldo

The Sundance Institute has selected the finalist cities for the location of the 2027 Sundance Film Festival.

In addition to the possibility of remaining in Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah, the cities that made the next round are Atlanta; Cincinnati; Boulder, Colo.; Louisville, Ky.; and Santa Fe, N.M.

The Sundance Institute looked at the infrastructure and event capabilities of each city, and the cities were required to show how they would welcome and foster the diverse Sundance community and culture of independent creativity, according to the institute.

“Each of these cities has a vibrant creative ecosystem, either expanding or established, and has enabled creativity to flourish in their cities through their support of the arts. These cities understand our ethos, are aligned with our key values, and have shown us interesting possibilities for partnership with our festival — for our artists, audiences, and all who want to be a part of the Sundance Film Festival — and that makes us want to see more,” Eugene Hernandez, festival director and director of public programming, said in a statement.

The festival will remain in Park City and Salt Lake City in 2025 and 2026.

The selection committee plans to visit each of the finalist cities in the coming weeks to further explore the possibilities. Though cities such as Cincinnati might not seem like obvious choices, the institute made note of the city’s strong independent film culture. Louisville, meanwhile, offers a longstanding arts and culture emphasis with a very diverse community. Santa Fe has a thriving film community and arts focus in a historic tourism location, while Boulder’s focus on sustainability was also key to its selection. Atlanta scores high on the equity index and is a large film production hub with a skilled industry workforce. Organizers also noted that Salt Lake City and Park City have a thriving economy, a growing population and increasing diversity.

“For over 40 years, Sundance has supported, sustained, and helped shine an essential spotlight on independent filmmakers and their work. As we very carefully consider this important decision for our Festival, we believe these six finalists allow us the best opportunity to not only secure a sustainable future for our Festival, but also to build upon its legacy while continuing to support the next generation of storytellers and highlight bold new works of art,” said Ebs Burnough, Sundance Institute Board Chair, and Amanda Kelso, Sundance Institute Acting CEO.

Hernandez continued, “Throughout this process, we engaged in thoughtful, lively, creative, and supportive conversations with governors, Mayors, arts advocates, film commissioners, and other local leaders from locations across the country. We’ve been buoyed by the tremendous enthusiasm and submissions from cities around the country and deeply appreciate the energy that went into each proposal.

Source : https://variety.com/2024/film/news/sundance-finalist-cities-2027-festival-location-1236078284

As the character celebrates her 50th anniversary, Hello Kitty’s creators have said the little girl lives in an unnamed London suburb with her parents and has a boyfriend.

After 50 years in business and annual retail sales of $5bn (£3.87bn) last year, you may think Hello Kitty is the cat that got the cream.

But she’s not a cat at all, according to her creators.

“She’s actually a little girl – born and raised in the suburbs of London,” said Jill Cook, the director of retail business development at Sanrio, the Japanese company that made the iconic character.

“She has a mum and dad and a twin sister Mimmy, who is also her best friend.”

She also enjoys baking cookies and making new friends.

Ms Cook revealed to Sky’s US partner network NBC’s Today Show the character “weighs three apples and is five apples tall”.

Hello Kitty – who has whiskers despite being a human child – has her own cat, a boyfriend called Daniel, and hundreds of friends, her creator said.

“Her core message is friendship, kindness and inclusivity and part of what has helped her transcend borders, languages, cultures is that that’s understandable to everyone,” Ms Cook said.

Hello Kitty was created in 1974 and first appeared on a children’s coin purse in Japan.

Since then, Hello Kitty has become one of the most recognisable characters in pop culture, with toys, TV cartoon shows, a theme park and clothing all contributing to its success.

Source : https://news.sky.com/story/hello-kitty-not-a-cat-creators-reveal-13181190

Venice introduced a €5 day-tripper tourist tax across a summer trial period from 25 April to 14 July and made around €2.4m.

Venice officials have indicated they plan to double a daily tourist tax after a successful summer trial.

Over 29 days during the summer, the city said the €5 (£4.20) tax was paid 485,062 times, generating around €2.4m (£2m).

The trial ran from 25 April to 14 July and applied to day-trippers.

Final numbers included paper access tickets as well – which accounted for around 1,000 entrances each day.

Italians accounted for 60% of visitors to Venice during the trial period, followed by US, German and French citizens, ranging from 6.5% to 4% of the totals.

Following the trial, city officials suggested the tax would be extended next year and doubled to €10, at least on some days.

But they did not make any immediate announcements, and instead said the final decision on how to proceed would be made in the autumn, following a full analysis of the data.

Mayor Luigi Brugnaro said the city would consider adjusting the fee if it was paid in advance or not.

He also defended the tax after critics said it failed to deter arrivals, which is why it was initially brought in.

Mr Brugnaro said: “We listened to citizens, to associations, to thousands of people, but in the end, there were no alternative solutions to ours.

“We thought to take this road of the controls, which were light enough, not invasive.”

Visitors not staying in accommodation at the city were required to download a QR code proving they had paid the tax.

Officials said that paying the tax took two minutes on average.

Hotel guests, who already pay a lodging tax, were exempt, as were people living in the Veneto region, visitors under 14, and those visiting relatives, among others.

Officials carried out random checks on people from 8.30am to 4pm with transgressors facing fines between €50 and €300 (£53 to £257).

Outside the 8.30am to 4pm period, access was free.

Venice is grappling with over-tourism with estimates of up to 30 million annual visits to the city.

Source : https://news.sky.com/story/venice-hints-at-plans-to-double-tourist-tax-after-summer-trial-made-1632m-13181267

Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy discuss the war in Ukraine after JD Vance, a strong critic of US support of Ukraine, was chosen to be Trump’s running mate.

Donald Trump and the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a “very good phone call” on Friday, according to the former president, after he promised to end Russia’s war with Ukraine if he was re-elected.

President Zelenskyy “congratulated me on a very successful Republican National Convention and becoming the Republican nominee for President of the United States”, he said in a post on the social media app Truth Social.

The pair agreed to “discuss at a personal meeting what steps can make peace fair and truly lasting”, according to Mr Zelenskyy in a post on X.

‘The greatest salesman ever’

Financial assistance to Ukraine has come up repeatedly during Mr Trump’s campaign to become US president again.

At his debate against President Joe Biden he criticised the amount of military aid going into Ukraine, and said: “Every time Zelenskyy comes to this country, he walks away with $60bn. The greatest salesman ever.”

However, he has also said Russian President Vladimir Putin’s terms to end the war are “not acceptable” and that Ukrainians are being killed “so needlessly, so stupidly”.

During his speech at the Republican National Convention on Thursday, Mr Trump promised to have the war settled “with a phone call” while he’s still president-elect, although he didn’t give any details of how.

‘I don’t really care what happens to Ukraine’

His running mate, JD Vance, has been very critical of US support of Ukraine in the past.

In the leadup to the Russian invasion in 2022, Vance said on a podcast: “I don’t really care what happens to Ukraine one way or another.

“There is frankly no good reason that aid from the US should be needed,” Mr Vance wrote in the Financial Times earlier this year. “Europe is made up of many great nations with productive economies.”

The US currently spends $175bn supporting Ukraine.

Source : https://news.sky.com/story/donald-trump-and-zelenskyy-have-very-good-phone-call-after-republican-convention-speech-13181339

The United Nations’ highest court said on Friday that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories and settlements there are illegal and should be withdrawn as soon as possible, in its strongest findings to date on the Israel-Palestinian conflict.

The advisory opinion by judges at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), known as the World Court, was not binding but carries weight under international law and may weaken support for Israel.

“Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and the regime associated with them, have been established and are being maintained in violation of international law,” President Nawaf Salam said, reading the findings of a 15-judge panel.

The court said Israel’s obligations include paying restitution for harm and “the evacuation of all settlers from existing settlements”.

In a swift reaction, Israel’s foreign ministry rejected the opinion as “fundamentally wrong” and one-sided, and repeated its stance that a political settlement in the region can only be reached by negotiations.

“The Jewish nation cannot be an occupier in its own land,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.

The opinion also angered West Bank settlers as well as politicians such as Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, whose nationalist religious party is close to the settler movement and who himself lives in a West Bank settlement.

“The answer to The Hague – Sovereignty now” he said in a post on the social media platform X, in an apparent appeal to formally annex the West Bank.

Israel Gantz, head of the Binyamin Regional Council, one of the largest settler councils, said the ICJ opinion was “contrary to the Bible, morality and international law”.

‘NO COMPLICITY’

The ICJ opinion also found that the U.N. Security Council, the General Assembly and all states have an obligation not to recognise the occupation as legal nor “render aid or assistance” toward maintaining Israel’s presence in the occupied territories.

The United States is Israel’s biggest military ally and supporter.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry called the opinion “historic” and urged states to adhere to it.

“No aid. No assistance. No complicity. No money, no arms, no trade…no actions of any kind to support Israel’s illegal occupation,” Palestinian envoy Riyad al-Maliki said outside the court in The Hague.

The case stems from a 2022 request for a legal opinion from the U.N. General Assembly, predating the war in Gaza that began in October.

Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem – areas of historic Palestine which the Palestinians want for a state – in the 1967 Middle East war and has since built settlements in the West Bank and steadily expanded them.

Israeli leaders argue the territories are not occupied in legal terms because they are on disputed lands, but the United Nations and most of the international community regard them as occupied territory.

In February, more than 50 states presented their views before the court, with Palestinian representatives asking the court to find that Israel must withdraw from all the occupied areas and dismantle illegal settlements.

Israel did not participate in the oral hearings but filed a written statement telling the court that issuing an advisory opinion would be “harmful” to attempts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The majority of states participating asked the court to find the occupation illegal, while a handful, including Canada and Britain, argued it should refuse to give an advisory opinion.

The United States had asked the court not to order the unconditional withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Palestinian territories.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/top-un-court-deliver-opinion-israels-occupation-palestinian-territories-2024-07-19

More than 5,000 flights were cancelled as a global IT outage hit Windows PCs on Friday, while the “majority” of GP surgeries in England and Northern Ireland were affected. Now, there are warnings delays could last into the weekend.

Airports and pharmacists are warning delays and disruption caused by a global IT outage could last into the weekend.

The outage spread globally on Friday morning after an update from global cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike knocked many Microsoft Windows PCs offline with a “blue screen of death” appearing on screens.

The issue caused travel cancellations and left NHS systems inaccessible.

The company’s founder later confirmed it was caused by a bug in the update and not a cyber attack, as some had feared.

George Kurtz said while a fix had been rolled out, it would be “some time” before all systems are returned to normal and an industry expert warned it could take “weeks” for a full recovery.

Delays into the weekend

Adam Leon Smith of BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT, said: “The fix will have to be applied to many computers around the world.

“So if computers are getting blue screens and endless loops, it could be more difficult and take days and weeks.”

As the outage became apparent early on Friday, airlines around the globe warned delays were ahead – and cancellations soon hit too, on what should have been the busiest day of the year so far for UK air travel.

By 8pm, 5,078 flights had been grounded worldwide – which equates to 4.6% of all scheduled flights globally, according to an aviation analytics company.

Cirium Data added that 167 flights that should have left UK airports have been cancelled so far – which is 5.4% of departures – while 171 inbound arrivals were cancelled.

Airports across the UK – including London Gatwick, Heathrow Airport, Manchester Airport and Belfast International Airport – are now stressing that passengers should check with airlines for any delays or cancellations before travelling over the weekend.

“Some delays and cancellations will continue this evening and over the weekend,” said a spokesperson for London Gatwick. “We strongly advise passengers to check with their airline for the latest updates.”

“Some flights could be cancelled by airlines at short notice,” said a spokesperson for Manchester Airport.

The NHS was hit by the outage as “the majority of GP practices” in England and two thirds of those in Northern Ireland were impacted, while South Western Railway said its ticket vending machines had failed.

Customers also reported issues with supermarket payments, online banking and communications systems including Microsoft Teams.

The National Pharmacy Association also warned disruption to pharmacy services is likely to continue through the weekend, even when systems are back online, as outlets deal with a backlog of medicine deliveries.

Source : https://news.sky.com/story/global-it-outage-crowdstrike-issue-could-take-weeks-to-clear-as-full-impact-is-revealed-13181279

A Russian court found U.S. reporter Evan Gershkovich guilty of espionage on Friday and sentenced him to 16 years in a maximum security penal colony in what his employer, the Wall Street Journal, called “a disgraceful sham conviction.”

Gershkovich, a 32-year-old American who denied any wrongdoing, went on trial in the city of Yekaterinburg last month after being accused of trying to gather sensitive information about a tank factory.

He was the first U.S. journalist accused of spying in Russia since the Cold War, and his arrest in March 2023 prompted many U.S. and other Western correspondents to leave Moscow.

U.S. President Joe Biden said Gershkovich did not commit any crime and has been wrongfully detained.

“We are pushing hard for Evan’s release and will continue to do so,” Biden said in a statement. “Journalism is not a crime.”

Video of Friday’s hearing released by the court showed Gershkovich, dressed in a T-shirt and black trousers, standing in a glass courtroom cage as he listened to the verdict being read in rapid-fire legalese for nearly four minutes.

Asked by the judge if he had any questions, he replied “Nyet”.

The judge, Andrei Mineyev, said the nearly 16 months Gershkovich had already served since his arrest would count towards the 16-year sentence.

Mineyev ordered the destruction of the reporter’s mobile phone and paper notebook. The defence has 15 days to appeal.

“This disgraceful, sham conviction comes after Evan has spent 478 days in prison, wrongfully detained, away from his family and friends, prevented from reporting, all for doing his job as a journalist,” the Journal said in a statement.

“We will continue to do everything possible to press for Evan’s release and to support his family. Journalism is not a crime, and we will not rest until he’s released. This must end now.”

Gershkovich’s friend, reporter Pjotr Sauer of Britain’s Guardian newspaper, posted on X: “Russia has just sentenced an innocent man to 16 years in a high security prison. I have no words to describe this farce. Let’s get Evan out of there.”

Friday’s hearing was only the third in the trial. The proceedings, apart from the sentencing, were closed to the media on the grounds of state secrecy.

Espionage cases often take months to handle and the unusual speed at which the trial was held behind closed doors has stoked speculation that a long-discussed U.S.-Russia prisoner exchange deal may be in the offing, involving Gershkovich and potentially other Americans detained in Russia.

The Kremlin, when asked by Reuters earlier on Friday about the possibility of such an exchange, declined to comment: “I’ll leave your question unanswered,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

Among those Russia would like to free is Vadim Krasikov, a Russian serving a life sentence in Germany for murdering an exiled Chechen-Georgian dissident in a Berlin park in 2019.

Officers of the FSB security service arrested Gershkovich on March 29, 2023, at a steakhouse in Yekaterinburg, 900 miles (1,400 km) east of Moscow. He has since been held in Moscow’s Lefortovo prison.

Russian prosecutors had accused Gershkovich of gathering secret information on the orders of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency about a company that manufactures tanks for Moscow’s war in Ukraine.

The Uralvagonzavod factory, which he is accused of spying on, has been sanctioned by the West. Based in the city of Nizhny Tagil near Yekaterinburg, it has publicly spoken of producing T-90M battle tanks and modernising T-72B3M tanks.

Earlier on Friday, the court unexpectedly said it would pronounce its verdict within hours after state prosecutors demanded Gershkovich be jailed for 18 years for spying. The maximum sentence for the crime he was accused of is 20 years.

Russia usually concludes legal proceedings against foreigners before making any deals on exchanging them.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/russian-prosecutor-seeks-18-year-sentence-us-journalist-gershkovich-agencies-2024-07-19

Conservative politicians pose with AR-style rifles for Christmas card portraits. Churches in deep red states give them away at raffles. Demonstrators on both sides of the political divide tote them at protests.

A bill in Congress supported by conservative representatives even wants to designate the AR-15 style rifle as “the National Gun of the United States.”

The AR platform of rifle – used in several of the most notorious and deadly mass shootings in American history in the past two decades – is in the spotlight again because a would-be assassin used one on Saturday to shoot former President Donald Trump, grazing him on the ear.

Deft marketing and the partisan divide have helped drive many Americans’ embrace of this style of gun, making it a potent cultural and political symbol in a country where the Constitution’s Second Amendment enshrines the right to bear arms.

“The romanticism around the AR-15s comes from marketing,” said Carolyn Gallaher, an American University professor whose research has in part focused on militia violence and who has followed the rise of AR-style guns. “It’s like theater.”

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/us/ar-15-style-rifles-rose-iconic-status-us-via-marketing-militarization-2024-07-19

President Joe Biden vowed on Friday to continue his campaign for reelection even as more fellow Democrats in Congress urged him to end his floundering campaign, fearing that it could cost the party dearly in the Nov. 5 election.

More than one in 10 congressional Democrats have now publicly called on the 81-year-old incumbent — who is isolating at his Delaware home with a case of COVID — to drop out following a disastrous June debate against Republican Donald Trump that raised questions about Biden’s ability to win or to carry out his duties for another four years.

Biden remained defiant, saying he would resume campaigning soon.

“I look forward to getting back on the campaign trail next week to continue exposing the threat of Donald Trump’s Project 2025 agenda while making the case for my own record and the vision that I have for America,” he said in a statement, referring to a policy plan developed by Trump’s conservative allies.

The divide among Democrats stood in sharp contrast to the scenes that played out this week at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, where former party rivals united around Trump, who accepted the Republican nomination in a rambling speech that featured his familiar mix of grievance and bombast.

So far, 32 of the 264 Democrats in Congress have openly called for Biden to end his campaign, while other senior Democratic leaders have pushed him behind the scenes to do so, according to sources and media reports.

Democrats are increasingly worried about a Republican sweep in the Nov. 5 election that could leave Trump and his allies not only in charge of the White House but also with majorities in both chambers of Congress.

“Your candidacy is on a trajectory to lose the White House and potentially impact crucial House and Senate races down ballot. It is for these reasons that I urge you to step aside,” wrote Representative Zoe Lofgren, one of at least nine Democratic lawmakers to call on Biden to drop out on Friday.

Lofgren is a close ally of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, one of the most influential Democrats. Pelosi has not publicly called on Biden to drop out but has privately told him he cannot win, according to a White House source speaking on condition of anonymity.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-clings-grievances-convention-finale-while-biden-weighs-future-2024-07-19

Thomas Crooks was pacing next to a warehouse building outside the Butler Farm Show grounds as a crowd gathered for one of former President Donald Trump’s signature outdoor rallies.

Crooks had already been flagged as suspicious by law enforcement. By the time two police officers walked over to check him out, he was on the roof, belly crawling.
“He’s got a gun,” a bystander yelled.
One officer hoisted the other to the lip of the roof. As the officer pulled his head over the edge, a long-haired young man wearing glasses turned toward him, wielding an AR-15 -style rifle. The officer dropped back to the ground, the Butler County sheriff told Reuters.

Shannen Doherty finalized her split with husband, Kurt Iswarienko, just hours before her death at age 53, and she was granted a rare posthumous divorce two days later.

Doherty, the star of “Beverly Hills, 90210” and “Charmed,” died Saturday after years with breast cancer, her publicist said.

Los Angeles County court documents showed that Doherty and her lawyer Laura Wasser, who handled the divorces of Kim Kardashian, Britney Spears, Ariana Grande and many others, worked to finish the details of hers before she died.

In a stipulated agreement with Iswarienko filed Friday, Doherty got to keep the couple’s Malibu, California, home, a Salvador Dali painting, several cars and all earnings from her acting.

S0urce: https://apnews.com/article/shannen-doherty-divorce-death-iswarienko-laura-wasser-0d9fbb475ae64fed1ccdc0a03eb69cf6

In a post on X, Air India said the aircraft has landed safely after diversion and it is working with relevant authorities to ensure passengers’ care.

Mumbai: A San Francisco-bound Air India flight from Delhi was diverted to Krasnoyarsk international airport in Russia on Thursday due to a technical issue, the airline said.

In a post on X, Air India said the aircraft has landed safely after diversion and it is working with relevant authorities to ensure passengers’ care.

The number of passengers on board was not immediately known.

“Air India flight AI-183 operating Delhi to San Francisco has been diverted to Krasnoyarsk international airport (UNKL) in Russia due to a technical reason,” Air India said in the post.

Source: https://www.deccanherald.com/elections/india/12-naxalites-killed-in-gadchiroli-carried-bounty-of-rs-86-lakh-on-their-heads-3111079

The iconic LZR Racer, the swimsuit that Michael Phelps wore while winning eight golds medals at the Beijing Olympics, is still revered around Speedo’s design center.

It serves as a reminder of just how much a suit can push a swimmer to greater heights.

“In so many ways, that was the golden era,” said Coora Lavezzo, the head of innovation at Speedo’s Aqualab in London. “We’ve got those suits upstairs, and even though I wasn’t there at the time, I’m fascinated by them and just how we can get back to a smidge of that former glory.”

Of course, the rules these days are much more of a hindrance to swimsuit designers, the result of a wild summer 15 years ago in which rubberized attire was all the rage, leading to 43 world records being set at the championships in Rome.

The international governing body, now known as World Aquatics, decided the polyurethane suits — many of them covering nearly the entire body — were making a mockery of the sport. So the organization hastily imposed strict new rules requiring textile fabrics and limiting the amount of body coverage from the hip to just above the knees for men, while women’s racing attire cannot extend past the shoulder or cover the neck.

For coaches such as Bob Bowman, who worked with Phelps over his entire career and was on hand in Rome for a speed show that bordered on a farce, the rules are just fine the way they are.

“Everybody is on a level playing field,” he said. “We’re still breaking world records in these suits. The sport is moving forward.”

But major swimsuit designers such as Speedo, TYR and arena are pushing for the guidelines to be liberalized.

They pump millions of dollars into the sport, and would love nothing more than to be allowed to come up with revolutionary new designs that lead to vastly improved performances. But as things stand now, their hands are largely tied. Faster times come in tiny increments.

Source: https://apnews.com/article/2024-olympics-swimsuits-0c61daa0c18548a589d5a9032b938b27

Several top Democratic leaders reportedly privately push the president to drop his campaign. Meanwhile, Mr Biden insists he will not back down, arguing he beat Donald Trump before and he will do so again.

Pressure is building on Joe Biden to end his re-election campaign after former president Barack Obama told allies his path to victory had greatly diminished.

Mr Obama has “concerns” about his ability to remain as the Democratic nominee, two people familiar with his thinking told NBC News, Sky’s US partner.

He sees Mr Biden’s route to victory in November “getting harder”, said one of the sources.

Meanwhile, Mr Biden has reportedly said he would consider dropping out of the 2024 race if he was diagnosed with a “medical condition” by a doctor.

In a pre-recorded interview with BET News, he said he would re-evaluate his campaign “if I had some medical condition that emerged”.

“If doctors came to me and said, you got this problem and that problem,” he added.

He also acknowledged he had run for the presidency as a “transitional candidate” and had expected to “pass it on to somebody else”.

But he said he had not expected how divided the US would become, adding: “There’s more to do and I’m reluctant to walk away from that.”

A source close to President Biden told NBC News the leader was responding to the building pressure, saying: “Can we all just remember for a minute that these same people who are trying to push Joe Biden out are the same people who literally gave us all Donald Trump?

“In 2015, Obama, Pelosi, Schumer pushed Biden aside in favour of Hillary; they were wrong then and they are wrong now.”

They suggested the US leader was “more in touch with actual Americans than Obama-Pelosi-Schumer”.

Top Democrats call for Biden to drop campaign

Several top Democrat leaders have reportedly privately pushed him to drop his campaign.

US Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer, House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries and former House speaker Nancy Pelosi have told Mr Biden they are concerned he will not only lose the White House but also cost the party any chance of winning back the House of Representatives in the 5 November election, several reports said.

Source: https://news.sky.com/story/pressure-builds-on-us-president-joe-biden-as-barack-obama-questions-his-candidacy-13180499

The Ukrainian president will be the first foreign leader to be hosted in Downing Street during Sir Keir Starmer’s premiership, and the first to address a full cabinet since US President Bill Clinton in 1997.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will visit Number 10 on Friday as the UK government promises to lead a “crackdown” on Russian oil vessels.

The Ukrainian leader, who has been in the country for the European Political Community (EPC) summit, will meet the whole of the new cabinet in Downing Street to brief them on the ongoing war and “the need to ramp up Europe’s defence industrial base to outpace the Russian threat”.

It will be the first time Sir Keir Starmer has hosted a foreign leader since becoming prime minister, as well as the first time a president has addressed the cabinet in person since former US president Bill Clinton in 1997.

The meeting comes after 44 European countries and the European Union agreed at the EPC summit to work together to disrupt Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet”.

It is a group of around 6,000 vessels that carry 1.7 million barrels of oil a day, which the government says the country uses to “generate significant funds to fuel its war machine”, with some thought to act as listening stations or to transport weapons.

The UK and Ukrainian defence ministers are expected to sign a new defence export support treaty, worth £3.5bn and agreed by the two leaders, to increase military hardware and weapons production for the war effort.

President Zelenskyy also met representatives of the UK defence industry and UK Defence Secretary John Healey on Wednesday to discuss how to deepen cooperation and boost defence industrial production.

Speaking ahead of the meeting, Sir Keir said: “Ukraine is, and always will be, at the heart of this government’s agenda and so it is only fitting that President Zelenskyy will make a historic address to my cabinet.

“Russia’s incremental gains on the battlefield are nothing compared with the collective international support for Ukraine, or the strength of ties between our people.

“And alongside our European partners, we have sent a clear message to those enabling Putin’s attempts to evade sanctions – we will not allow Russia’s shadow fleet, and the dirty money it generates, to flow freely through European waters and put our security at risk.”

Source: https://news.sky.com/story/zelenskyy-to-visit-number-10-as-uk-promises-to-lead-crackdown-on-russias-shadow-fleet-13180442

When Usha Vance took to the stage at the Republican National Convention, she introduced the crowd to the “most determined person I know” – her husband JD Vance, the newly selected vice-presidential candidate.
“That JD and I could meet at all, let alone fall in love and marry, is a testament to this great country,” she told the crowd on Wednesday night.
Mrs Vance humanised the Ohio senator and running mate of Republican White House candidate Donald Trump by calling him a man who longed for a “tight-knit family”.
She also said her husband was a “meat and potatoes kind of guy” – but one who had adapted to her vegetarian diet and even learned how to cook Indian food for her mother.
While she does not seek out the political spotlight, Mrs Vance, 38, wields considerable influence over her husband’s career, Mr Vance has said before.

Mrs Vance – née Chilukuri, the child of Indian immigrants – was born and raised in the suburbs of San Diego, California.
The two met as students at Yale Law School in 2013, when they joined a discussion group on “social decline in white America”, according to the New York Times.
The content influenced Mr Vance’s best-selling 2016 memoir Hillbilly Elegy, about his childhood in the white working-class Rust Belt, which became a 2020 movie directed by Ron Howard.
Whilst her husband regularly rails about “woke” ideas he says are pushed by Democrats, Mrs Vance was formerly a registered Democrat and is now a corporate litigator at a San Francisco law firm which proudly touts its reputation for being “radically progressive”.
Mrs Vance previously graduated with a BA in history from Yale University and was also a Gates Scholar at Cambridge University, where she came away with an MPhil in early modern history, according to her LinkedIn profile.
She once clerked for Brett Kavanaugh, now a Supreme Court justice, on the District of Columbia court of appeals. Then she clerked for Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts. Both men are part of the highest court’s conservative majority.
And it is this stellar CV that leaves Mr Vance feeling “humbled” he has said.
“Usha definitely brings me back to Earth a little bit,” Mr Vance told the Megyn Kelly Show podcast in 2020. “And if I maybe get a little bit too cocky or a little too proud I just remind myself that she is way more accomplished than I am.”
“People don’t realise just how brilliant she is,” he added, saying she is able to digest a 1,000-page book in only a few hours.
She is the “powerful female voice on his left shoulder”, giving him guidance, he said.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c897483zpyeo

Melania Trump and her stepdaughter Ivanka Trump stunned in red and white as they made an appearance at the 2024 Republican National Convention to support Donald Trump.

The former first lady and former first daughter joined the 45th president onstage at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on Wednesday as he signed documents to accept the GOP nomination to face President Joe Biden in the upcoming election.

They were also joined by Donald’s son Eric Trump.

Melania, 54, rocked a red skirt suit as she proudly stood beside her husband.

Ivanka, meanwhile, wore a similar white suit with accent buttons.

Donald’s youngest daughter, Tiffany Trump, watched her father sign the paperwork as she sat in the audience alongside Ivanka’s husband, Jared Kushner.

On Wednesday, Eric confirmed Melania and Ivanka, 42, would be supporting Donald at the RNC as he told “CBS Mornings,” “They’re coming in, and they’re coming in full force and effect, so they’ll certainly be here.

“Ivanka has been an incredible supporter of my father,” he continued. “There’s no family in political history that has remained closer.”

Ivanka served as a senior advisor during the Trump administration from 2017 to 2021.

The RNC had already been a family affair as Donald Trump Jr. attended the event on Wednesday with his daughter, Kai Trump.

Kai, 17, took the stage to share her support for her grandfather Donald, saying, “To me, he’s just a normal grandpa.”

She continued, “He gives us candy and soda when our parents are not looking. He always wants to know how we’re doing in school. When I made the high honor roll, he printed it out to show his friends how proud he was of me.”

She also applauded the 78-year-old for prioritizing his family amid his various legal battles, including his trial in May when he became a convicted felon after being found guilty of falsifying business records.

Source: https://pagesix.com/2024/07/18/celebrity-news/melania-and-ivanka-trump-rock-red-and-white-while-supporting-donald-at-rnc/?

Is there anything Maya Rudolph can’t do? It’s a serious question, as the comedy superstar reigns as this year’s Emmy nominations MVP. Rudolph earned four nominations — a stunning achievement in itself, but made even more impressive because those nods come from three different programs. She’s nominated in comedy lead actress for Apple TV+’s “Loot” (just renewed for a third season), in character voice-over for her role as Connie the Hormone Monstress in Netflix’s animated “Big Mouth,” and in comedy guest actress for her hosting stint on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” (which also got her an original music and lyrics nod for her monologue tune).

It’s quite a year for Emmy overachievers. Several acting stars also landed writing noms, like Quinta Brunson (“Abbott Elementary”), Richard Gadd (“Baby Reindeer”) and Donald Glover (“Mr. & Mrs. Smith”). Others nominated thesps are also producers on their nominated best series. And then, besides Rudolph, there are the folks who had a busy year updating their IMDb: Jon Hamm scoring limited/anthology lead actor (“Fargo”) and drama supporting actor (“The Morning Show”) nods; Kristen Wiig, nominated for comedy lead actress (“Palm Royale”) and guest comedy actress (“SNL”); Jonathan Pryce, up for drama supporting actor (“The Crown”) and drama guest actor (“Slow Horses”); and Paul Rudd, recognized in the comedy supporting actor (“Only Murders in the Building”) and narrator (“Secrets of the Octopus”) categories.

The key record set this year was FX’s “The Bear” taking over as the new most-nommed comedy series in history (at 23). It’s also a groundbreaking year for Indigenous representation (Lily Gladstone, Kali Reis, D’Pharoah Woon-A-Tai). And for anyone keeping score, the new “Shogun” has surpassed the original NBC “Shogun” in number of Emmy nominations (at 25, vs. 14 in 1981).

Here are a few more odd, unusual and just plain unique— but mostly trivial — takeaways:

YES, CHEF: What, 23 nominations isn’t enough for “The Bear”? Then let’s look at the halo effect as well. Fox’s “The Simpsons” picked up an animated program nomination this year for the episode “Night of the Living Wage,” which was a parody of the FX series — complete with Marge Simpson struggling in a loud restaurant kitchen like that other show. Also, by total coincidence, one of the most groundbreaking nominations of the year is in comedy lead actor for “Reservation Dogs” star Woon-A-Tai — who plays a character named, you guessed it, “Bear.”

ONE FOR THE AGES: When it comes to institutions, Dick Van Dyke blows them all out of the water. In categories including variety/reality choreography, variety special directing and variety production design, the “Dick Van Dyke: 98 Years of Magic” special is facing off with the 86th Oscars, the 76th Tonys and the 66th Grammys. Whippersnappers. As an entertainment icon, Van Dyke has ‘em all beat by a decade or more.

CREDIT CONFUSION: Showtime landed just three nominations this year (all for “Fellow Travelers”), while AMC was completely shut out for the first time in recent memory. Those two networks were once Emmy titans — but at least they still had some reason to celebrate, albeit for other networks. AMC Studios is a producer on Apple TV+’s “Silo,” which earned two nominations, while Showtime is behind “Ripley,” which landed 13 nods for Netflix — including limited/anthology series.

EXTRA APPLE BITES: No, 70 nominations apparently isn’t enough for Apple TV+. Once again, parent Apple also scored two nominations in the commercial category — for the iPhone/Mac ad “Fuzzy Feelings” and the iPhone 15 spot “Album Cover.” Those are listed as “no network affiliation” by the TV Academy, but Apple notes that the in-house commercial team it uses falls under the domain of Apple TV+. So, as it wants everyone to know with their tallies, that number should be 72.

STAR POWER: Apple TV+ faces some tough competition in that commercial category, however, as the nominated spots are filled with stars. The Uber One/Uber Eats spot “Best Friends” features Robert DeNiro and Asa Butterfield; State Farm’s “Like a Good Neighbaaa” includes the “Twins” duo of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito; and CeraVe Moisturizing Cream’s “Michael CeraVe” naturally includes spokesperson Michael Cera.

HOW META: Apparently we know what TV Academy members consider to be emerging media: Meta is a part of four of the five nominees in the emerging media program category, including Meta Quest’s “Emperor,” Meta’s “The Pirate Queen With Lucy Liu,” Meta/Facebook’s “Red Rocks Live in VR” and Meta’s “Wallace & Gromit In the Grand Getaway.” (Only Prime Video’s “Fallout: Vault 33” is the non-Meta nominee in that field).

SECOND ACTS: Perhaps the secret to landing a nomination in the documentary/nonfiction directing field is to be an actor-turned-filmmaker directing a documentary about a superstar. That counts for three of the five nominees in that category this year: Rob Reiner, for “Albert Brooks: Defending My Life,” Fisher Stevens for “Beckham” and Ron Howard for “Jim Henson Idea Man.”

MUSICAL MOONLIGHTING: They don’t just star on their shows, they make music for their shows! In the original music and lyrics category, besides the aforementioned Maya Rudolph for “SNL,” nominees include “Girls5eva” star Sara Bareilles (for her track “The Medium Time”) and “True Detective: Night Country” star John Hawkes (also nommed in supporting limited/anthology actor) for his tune “No Use.”

NOT SO BASIC: MTV was never a major Emmy nominee, especially during its days focused on live music programming. But it’s still stunning to realize that in this late stage of MTV’s evolution (when it mostly serves as a non-stop marathon of “Ridiculousness”) that in 2024 it has garnered 10 nominations — the channel’s most, ever. Those 10, of course, all come from “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” the reality competition juggernaut that moved to MTV in 2023. Overall, it was a rough year for basic cable — particularly if you note that FX isn’t really basic cable anymore, given that most of its fare is Hulu-exclusive. Besides MTV, only Adult Swim (2), BBC America (5), Bravo (6), Comedy Central (5), Food Network (1), Investigation Discovery (3) and Nat Geo (3) landed nods.

FIRST TIMERS: Those three nominations for Investigation Discovery were the first nominations ever for the Warner Bros. Discovery cabler, and came via doc/nonfiction series nominee “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV” (which earned two) and for Octavia Spencer as narrator on “Lost Women of Highway 20.” Meanwhile, although AMC didn’t land a nomination, AMC Networks’ horror-themed Shudder streamer picked up its first-ever nods, thanks to “The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula,” which received two.

BROADCAST’S LAST REFUGE: Once upon a time, the Emmys were all about broadcast network vs. broadcast network. ABC, NBC, CBS and sometimes Fox would compete for all of the major prizes. And then HBO joined the party. And basic cable. Then the streamers took over. Broadcast still makes a dent in certain categories like talk and specials. But we could only locate three categories where the nominees are still ALL broadcast: music direction, lighting design/lighting direction for a variety series and lighting design/lighting direction for a variety special. Congrats to the music and lighting communities for keeping the broadcast dream alive.

LIFE AFTER TALK: They’re not in the late-night chat business anymore, but former “The Daily Show” host Trevor Noah (for the 66th Grammy Awards and his Netflix special “Trevor Noah: Where Was I”), former “The Late Late Show” host James Corden (Apple TV+’s “Carpool Karaoke: The Series”) and “Conan” host Conan O’Brien (Max’s “Conan O’Brien Must Go”) all received nominations. Also receiving a nod was “My Next Guest With David Letterman and John Mulaney” — but Letterman declines taking an executive producer credit, so he’s not actually nominated even though his show is.

Unrest broke out in Leeds on Thursday evening as rioters set a double-decker bus ablaze and overturned a police car.

Social media footage showed the crowd attacking the police vehicle, using a pram, rocks, and bicycles to smash its windows before flipping it onto its side.

The violence also saw hundreds of residents clashing with law enforcement, hurling rocks and bricks at police vehicles.

In the viral videos circulating on the social media platform ‘X’, one video allegedly shows a man setting fire to a bus, while another captures young children participating in the riot.

Source: https://www.news18.com/world/violence-erupts-in-uks-leeds-as-rioters-torch-bus-overturn-police-car-8971061.html

60 rare Siamese crocodiles have hatched in Cambodia’s Cardamom National Park, offering hope for their endangered population amid conservation efforts.

: A group of 60 rare Siamese crocodiles have hatched in Cambodia, boosting hopes for one of the world’s most endangered reptiles, conservationists said Thursday.
Five Siamese crocodile nests were discovered in Cambodia’s Cardamom National Park in mid-May, the country’s environment and agriculture ministry said in a joint statement with conservation group Fauna and Flora.

The nests contained 106 eggs, of which 66 were fertilised, and a total of 60 Siamese crocodile eggs successfully hatched between June 27 and 30, the ministry said.

“This discovery indicates that the area is a key habitat for natural crocodiles, providing hope for the species’ recovery,” they said in the statement.

Researchers say there are approximately 1,000 Siamese crocodiles worldwide, including around 300 individuals in the wild in Cambodia.

Their survival is threatened by poachers who supply eggs and adult reptiles to crocodile farms around the region, where their skins are turned into luxury belts, shoes, and handbags.

Cambodian environment minister Eang Sophalleth said it was a source of “pride” that the country is home to some of the world’s rarest species, pledging continued efforts to “preserve biodiversity.”

Deforestation and poaching have devastated many species in Cambodia, one of Asia’s poorest and most corrupt nations.

In its haste to develop, the government has been criticised for allowing firms to clear hundreds of thousands of hectares of forest land — including in protected zones — for everything from rubber and sugar cane plantations to hydropower dams.

The successful mass hatching shows the vital importance” of protecting the Cardamom National Park, said Pablo Sinovas, country director of the Fauna & Flora Cambodia programme.

“With only a few hundred individuals estimated in the wild, the hatching of 60 new crocodiles is a tremendous boost,” Sinovas added.

Source: https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/hope-for-siamese-crocodiles-60-hatchlings-in-cambodias-national-park-6132993

Elsewhere at the convention, West Virginia governor Jim Justice’s pet dog steals the show after appearing on stage with him during a speech.

Donald Trump supporters are wearing pretend ear bandages to the Republican convention in solidarity with him after an assassination attempt on the former president.

Mr Trump has been wearing a patch over his ear since the shooting in Pennsylvania on Saturday.

Several attendees at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee were seen with similar white bandages taped to their heads on Thursday.

Mr Trump will formally accept the GOP nomination at the convention on Thursday evening, making his first speech since the attempt on his life.

Twenty-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks was shot dead by police after he fired his rifle towards Mr Trump at his rally near Pittsburgh last week.

After his protection officers leapt up to protect him, he momentarily raised a fist in the air and shouted “fight”, before he was rushed away.

His supporters are now using it as a rallying cry, having chanted it back at him in Pennsylvania.

The exact nature of his injuries has not been made clear.

His doctor Ronny Jackson says he is missing part of his upper right ear but it is not known whether he is still receiving treatment.

Source: https://news.sky.com/story/donald-trump-supporters-wear-fake-ear-bandages-after-shooting-13180434

Donald Trump accepted the Republican presidential nomination before a raucous audience of thousands on Thursday, the crowning event to a gathering of the party’s faithful just days after the former president survived an assassination attempt.
Here are takeaways from the Republican National Convention.
TRUMP THE UNIFIER?
On the stump, Trump typically paints a dark portrait of America, railing against political opponents he says are corrupt, depraved and bent on destroying the country.

The car was rented at Copenhagen airport and was captured on CCTV as it crossed the Oresund Bridge with three people potentially inside, according to Swedish media.

The families of two British men missing in Sweden are appealing for information on their whereabouts amid fears they were victims of a double murder.

It comes after a pair of bodies were found in a burning car in an industrial area of Malmo on Sunday afternoon.

Emergency workers made the discovery after they put out the flames – with a possible bullet hole in one of the victims, according to local media.

Police are yet to formally identify them but reports say they are British and may have been shot before the fire started.

Juan Cifuentes, 33, and Farooq Abdulrazak, 37, travelled to Denmark and Sweden for an overnight business trip and were due to return to the UK at 6pm on Sunday, according to a social media appeal.

The appeal said they never came home and have not been in contact since.

The pair are from north London and are understood to work for a travel company.

The Toyota Rav 4 later found burnt out had been rented from Copenhagen airport after two Britons flew from Heathrow, according to Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet.

CCTV indicated three people were inside when it drove over the Oresund Bridge to Sweden, Sydsvenskan, another Swedish paper, reported.

Source: https://news.sky.com/story/british-men-missing-in-sweden-feared-to-be-victims-of-double-murder-13179581

Around half the 251 Conservative MPs who lost their seat at the election went to listen to the former prime minister apologise for the party’s election disaster and to grieve together for the demise of once-promising political careers.

It was like a wake. There were tears. And Rishi Sunak said sorry eight times.

The 251 Conservative MPs who lost their seat at the election were invited to the Tory party’s holy of holies, the Carlton Club, but only about 120 turned up.

They were there to hear the former prime minister apologise for the party’s election disaster and to grieve together for the demise of once-promising political careers.

Many of those who attended, including some defending majorities of more than 20,000, were defeated because Reform UK polled 6,000, 7,000 or 8,000 votes and handed victory to Labour.

There were commiserations and recriminations. The mood was one of gloom. And some ex-MPs present claimed the low turnout at the reception reflected anger against Mr Sunak.

“Rishi came to basically give condolences to those who’d fallen,” former Commons deputy speaker Nigel Evans, who lost in Ribble Valley to Labour by 856 votes, told Sky News.

“It was very teary at times. But Rishi said sorry for the fact that the election result wasn’t as he had planned. He must have said sorry eight times.”

After Mr Sunak’s repeated apologies, interim party chairman Richard Fuller and interim chief whip Stuart Andrew spoke to the ex-MPs about how the party needed to rebuild.

“We’ve got great expertise in the room, more expertise in this room than we’ve got at Parliament,” said Mr Evans, first elected in 1992. “We were told: ‘We need your help’.”

‘Why did we go early?’

Asked if some defeated MPs confronted Mr Sunak about the disastrous decision to hold the election in July rather than wait until the autumn, Mr Evans said: “Well, not to his face there wasn’t.

“But in private conversations, people said: ‘Why did we go early?’ And I think that most people believe that had we gone in November, when the expectation was that’s what we were going to do, we would have probably saved 100 seats at least.

“We were never going to win. People said: ‘Why haven’t you stopped the boats? Why haven’t you sent people to Rwanda?’ And we haven’t done any of that.”

‘Rebuilding the Conservative brand’

Adam Holloway, who lost Gravesham to Labour by 2,712 votes, told Sky News: “What we’re in the business of now is rebuilding and rebuilding the conservative brand.

“And for people like us today, standing as Conservatives in the last election, trying to defend indefensible levels of low-skilled migration, trying to defend crazy net zero targets and so on, makes it very difficult to say.

“It doesn’t surprise me that we’ve had this defeat. The problem is that the good people who voted Reform UK have got precisely the opposite of what they thought they were voting for.”

On Mr Sunak’s dash to the polls on 4 July, Mr Holloway, first elected in 2005, said: “Clearly it was, in my view, disastrous. Literally, when that was announced we were scrabbling around. I remember spending £16,500 on my credit cards to buy stamps in order to get letters out.

“It’s about what’s going on out there, in the interest of the people of the country. The Tory party has not served them well because we’ve allowed Labour to take over.”

Source: https://news.sky.com/story/rishi-sunak-apologises-to-tory-mps-eight-times-at-party-wake-13179976

Baldwin’s case was thrown out by the judge after three days, based on testimony heard in court that police and prosecutors had withheld potential evidence from the defence.

Alec Baldwin has said he may sue a state prosecutor and sheriff over their failed attempt to prosecute him over a fatal shooting on the set of the film Rust.

The case against Baldwin was thrown out by a judge after three days, based on testimony heard in court that police and prosecutors had withheld potential evidence from the defence.

The actor was holding a gun which went off on the set in New Mexico in 2021, killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza.

His lawyers have now sent letters to New Mexico prosecutor Kari Morrissey and Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza asking them to preserve documents for future litigation, according to Reuters.

It comes after the armourer for the Western film asked a judge to dismiss her involuntary manslaughter conviction or order a new trial over the fatal shooting.

The defence counsel for Hannah Gutierrez argued in a new court filing her case should be reconsidered because Baldwin’s case revealed prosecutors failed to share evidence that might have helped her case.

In a new court document submitted on behalf of Gutierrez, who earlier this year was jailed for 18 months for her role in Ms Hutchins’ death, defence lawyer Jason Bowles argues her case should be no different.

“The intentional withholding of crucial evidence… by the State has compromised the integrity of the entire judicial process,” he says in the filing.

Kari Morrissey, the lead prosecutor in both the Baldwin and Gutierrez cases, says her written response will be filed in court next week.

In his court filing, Mr Bowles says Ms Morrissey “lied to this court several times”.

Gutierrez already has an appeal pending in a higher court on her involuntary manslaughter conviction.

Source: https://news.sky.com/story/alec-baldwin-rust-shooting-armourer-hannah-gutierrez-challenges-conviction-after-dismissal-of-actors-case-13179547

The young man was pacing around the edges of the Donald Trump campaign rally, shouldering a big backpack and peering into the lens of a rangefinder toward the rooftops behind the stage where the former president would stand within the hour.

His behavior was so odd, so unlike that of the other rallygoers, that local law enforcement took notice, radioed their concerns and snapped a photo. But then he vanished.

The image was circulated by officers stationed outside the security perimeter on that hot, sunny Saturday afternoon. But the man didn’t appear again until witnesses saw him climbing up the side of a squat manufacturing building that was within 135 meters (157 yards) from the stage.

Video shows the shooter on a rooftop.

That’s where he opened fire, six minutes after Trump began speaking, in an attempt to assassinate the presumptive GOP presidential nominee. The gunman killed one rallygoer and seriously wounded two others. Trump suffered an ear injury but was not seriously hurt, appearing just days later at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee with a bandage over the wound.

Now come the questions, and there are plenty. Multiple investigations have been launched, both into the crime itself and how law enforcement allowed it to happen. It’s becoming increasingly clear this was a complicated failure involving multiple missteps and at least nine local and federal law enforcement divisions that were supposed to be working together. Law enforcement has also warned of the potential for copycat attacks and more violence.

This story is based on interviews with eight law enforcement officials and four people familiar with a law enforcement briefing given to senators Wednesday, some of whom spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss the investigations into the attempt on Trump’s life.

Multiple agencies work together to secure events
The Secret Service always partners with local law enforcement when a president, political candidate or other high-level official comes to town, and Saturday’s rally was no different. An advance team comes early to scope out the scene and identify potential areas of concern. They order vehicles moved. They set up barriers. They block off roads.

In some larger cities, one or two local agencies may work alongside the federal teams. In more rural areas, one local agency won’t have enough manpower so multiple agencies are often involved. On Saturday, the show of force included members of at least six different agencies, including two sheriff’s offices, local police, state police and multiple teams within the Secret Service, plus fire and emergency rescue officials. Within those agencies are individual divisions that have different duties.

In theory, more manpower is better. But it can often create communication problems, and it’s unclear how the information about 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks was transmitted. For instance, it’s not clear how widely his photo was circulated or whether everyone was equally aware of the potential threat.

All the extra officers can be a drain on resources, leaving agencies stretched thin. The Secret Service at any given time is protecting the president, candidates and others, plus running point on major national security events. It’s the same for local police, who told the Secret Service they didn’t have enough people to station officers outside the building all day.

The Secret Service controls the area inside the perimeter, after people pass through metal detectors. Local law enforcement is supposed to handle outside the perimeter.

Reports of someone on the roof
The shooter, later identified as Crooks, disappeared from the crowds of Trump supporters decked out in red, white and blue. The stream of supporters entering through the metal detectors was slowing. Trump was getting ready to go on.

The rooftop from which Crooks fired is in a complex of buildings that form AGR International Inc., a supplier of automation equipment for the glass and plastic packaging industry. The building was closed for the day, except to law enforcement.

Crooks was spotted again when members of a local SWAT team, stationed inside the building complex, noticed him walking around and looking at the roof. One officer took a photo of Crooks and radioed to others to be on the lookout for a suspicious person looking through a rangefinder — a small device resembling binoculars that hunters use to measure distance from a target.

Not long after, witnesses reported seeing him scaling the squat building closest to the stage. He then set up his AR-style rifle and lay on the rooftop, a detonator in his pocket to set off crude explosive devices that were stashed in his car parked nearby.

Outside, a local officer climbed up to the roof to investigate. The gunman turned and pointed his rifle at him. The officer did not — or could not — fire a single shot. But Crooks did, firing into the crowd toward the former president and sending panicked spectators ducking for cover as Secret Service agents shielded Trump and pulled him from the stage. Two countersniper teams were stationed on buildings behind Trump, and the team further away from Crooks fired once, killing him.

In the congressional briefing Wednesday, FBI and Secret Service officials laid out a clearer timeline: Crooks was identified as a potential threat a full hour before the shots were fired, they saw him with the rangefinder roughly 40 minutes before the shooting, and then spotted him again looking through the rangefinder, about 20 minutes before the shooting.

Source: https://apnews.com/article/trump-shooting-rally-a1bcbaa4a604e09be8cc22893751895b

Emmy voters are paying attention. The Television Academy announced nominations for the 76th Emmys on Wednesday morning, and the announcement was filled with historic-making choices and several critically acclaimed names and titles that had been overdue for recognition.

Leading the charge was FX’s “Shogun,” which scored a stunning 25 nominations (including limited series) and scored first-time acting nominations for stars Hiroyuki Sanada and Anna Sawai. It was an amazing morning for FX, which landed 93 noms all together — helped also by the record-breaking 23 nominations (the most in Emmy history) for its comedy series “The Bear.”

Emmy voters are paying attention. The Television Academy announced nominations for the 76th Emmys on Wednesday morning, and the announcement was filled with historic-making choices and several critically acclaimed names and titles that had been overdue for recognition.

Leading the charge was FX’s “Shogun,” which scored a stunning 25 nominations (including limited series) and scored first-time acting nominations for stars Hiroyuki Sanada and Anna Sawai. It was an amazing morning for FX, which landed 93 noms all together — helped also by the record-breaking 23 nominations (the most in Emmy history) for its comedy series “The Bear.”

FX’s surge made it the second-most nominated network this year, behind only Netflix (107). And that put it above HBO and Max (91), which wasn’t one of the top two networks for the first time in multiple decades. (This is a bit of a “bye” year for HBO, as a number of its top contenders either ended their runs or didn’t air last season due to production delays.)

“This one really caught us by surprise and in the best possible way.,” said FX chief John Landgraf. “You just feel this overwhelming sense of pride for the artists for the nominees.”

Besides “Shogun” and “The Bear,” FX pulled off a comedy series nomination for “Reservation Dogs,” something that fans and TV critics had been pushing for years. But “Rez Dogs” wasn’t the only previous snub finally rectified: In its third season, “Only Murders in the Building” finally landed an acting nomination for star Selena Gomez.

The most-nominated limited/anthology series this year was HBO’s “True Detective: Night Country,” with 19. NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” was the most-recognized broadcast entry, with 17 nods. Other outlets having a landmark year included Apple TV+, which scored 72 nominations — thanks to a surging “The Morning Show” (16 nominations), comedy newcomer “Palm Royale” (11) and limited entry “Lessons in Chemistry” (10).

Netflix’s haul included “The Crown,” its top nominee (18), as well as “Ripley” (13) and “Baby Reindeer” (11).

Tony Hale (“Veep”) and Sheryl Lee Ralph (“Abbott Elementary”) announced the 2024 Emmy nominations Wednesday morning, along with new Television Academy chair Cris Abrego.

Wait, didn’t the 2024 Emmys already happen, back in January? Not quite. The Hollywood strikes forced the Television Academy to push the 2023 telecast to January of this year — right in the middle of Oscar season. And now, as Abrego alluded to in his opening, just nine months later we’re doing it again for the June 1, 2023 to May 31, 2024, timeframe.

With voting ending on June 24 and the 76th Emmy nominations announced Wednesday, now comes Emmy campaign Phase 2. And unlike last year, when the strikes led to months of uncertainty and a lack of talent participation, this time the nominees are primed and ready to hit the campaign trail once again.

The TV Academy’s approximately 22,000 members made their choices from a pool of 229 total series submitted in the key drama, comedy and limited/anthology series categories in 2024 — down 33% from last year’s 309. And with fewer submissions, the org’s sliding scale has led to fewer nominations in several categories (dropping to five in the lead comedy and limited/anthology/TV movie acting fields).

Some of that decrease is due to a decline in production volume, as networks and streamers pull back on original series. But last year’s strikes also delayed many productions — including series that didn’t make the cut this year but will be back in the running in 2025, like HBO’s “House of the Dragon” (and likely “The Last of Us”), Prime Video’s “The Boys” and Netflix’s “Bridgerton.”

Meanwhile, there were only a handful of major Emmy rules changes this year. Perhaps most notable was a last-minute methodology change in the scripted variety field. With so few submissions, the category was turned into a “juried” competition, with peer group members screening the entries and the top two receiving 70% approval earning a nod.

Party because of its lengthy delay, the most recent Emmys in January posted record-low ratings for the kudocast. The event faced an NFL playoff game, which didn’t help, as it delivered just 4.3 million viewers. But ironically, that little-watched telecast earned some of the strongest critical raves in years for an awards show — Emmys or otherwise. The January event, hosted by Anthony Anderson and produced by Jesse Collins Entertainment, scored high marks for its nostalgic tribute to TV hits of the past 75 years, reuniting casts of series like “Cheers” and “Martin” while paying tribute to classics by re-creating moments from shows like “I Love Lucy” and “All in the Family.” That’s why Jesse Collins Ent. is back to helm this September’s telecast as well.

SOURCE: https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/2024-emmy-nominations-list-1236074176/

Paris has been working on cleaning up the Seine so that people can swim in it again, as was the case during the 1900 Paris Olympics. Former Paris Mayor Jacques Chirac in 1988 promised he would swim in the Seine “in the presence of witnesses”, but his plunge never materialised.
The city has built a huge storage basin capable of holding 46,000 cubic metres of waste water before it flows through a tunnel to a treatment plant. When the water meets the required health criteria, it will then be poured into the Seine.
If the river is not deemed to be suitable, organisers have contingency plans: the marathon swimming event will take place at Vaires-sur-Marne, where the rowing and canoeing events are held, and the triathlon will be turned into a duathlon.
Jenn Fluet, a 21-year-old tourist visiting from New York, said Hidalgo was brave. Asked if she would follow suit, Fluet said: “Hell no! It’s dirty.”
Quentin Mazars, a 33-year-old swimming club member who joined Hidalgo in the Seine, said he “was careful not to swallow any water”.
Pierre Suzeau, a 66-year-old member of an outdoor swimming group, emerged from his dip energised.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/sports/olympics/paris-mayor-finally-swims-seine-prove-water-purity-2024-07-17/

China has halted nascent nuclear-arms-control talks with the United States, its foreign ministry said on Wednesday, in a protest of Washington’s arms sales to the democratically governed island of Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory.
The Chinese decision deals a potentially serious setback to global arms-control efforts, with Beijing joining Moscow in refusing to discuss with Washington measures to curb a nuclear-arms race, analysts said.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said repeated U.S. arms sales to Taiwan in recent months had “seriously compromised the political atmosphere for continuing the arms-control consultations.”
“Consequently, the Chinese side has decided to hold off discussion with the U.S. on a new round of consultations on arms control and non-proliferation. The responsibility fully lies with the U.S.,” Lin told a regular news briefing in Beijing.

Germany plans to halve its military aid to Ukraine next year, despite concerns that U.S. support for Kyiv could potentially diminish if Republican candidate Donald Trump returns to the White House.
German aid to Ukraine will be cut to 4 billion euros ($4.35 billion) in 2025 from around 8 billion euros in 2024, according to a draft of the 2025 budget seen by Reuters.
Germany hopes Ukraine will be able to meet the bulk of its military needs with the $50 billion in loans from the proceeds of frozen Russian assets approved by the Group of Seven, and that funds earmarked for armaments will not be fully used.

“Ukraine’s financing is secured for the foreseeable future thanks to European instruments and the G7 loans,” German Finance Minister Christian Lindner said on Wednesday at a news conference.
Washington pushed to “front load” the loans to give Ukraine a big lump sum now.
Officials say EU leaders agreed to the idea in part because it reduces the chance of Ukraine being short of funds if Trump returns to the White House.
Alarm bells rang across Europe this week after Trump picked Senator J.D. Vance, who opposes military aid for Ukraine and warned Europe will have to rely less on the United States to defend the continent, as his candidate for vice president.
Trump sparked fierce criticism from Western officials for suggesting he would not protect countries that failed to meet the transatlantic military alliance’s defence spending targets and would even encourage Russia to attack them.

Germany has faced criticism for repeatedly missing a NATO target of spending 2% of its economic output on defence.
DEPLETED MILITARY STOCKS
The stocks of Germany’s armed forces, already run down by decades of underinvestment, have been further depleted by arms supplies to Kyiv.
So far, Berlin has donated three Patriot air defence units to Kyiv, more than any other country, bringing down the number of Patriot systems in Germany to nine.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/germany-halve-military-aid-ukraine-despite-possible-trump-white-house-2024-07-17/

A former Goldman Sachs (GS.N), opens new tab and Blackstone (BX.N), opens new tab analyst was sentenced to 28 months in prison on Wednesday for insider trading, after admitting that his conduct was “catastrophically stupid.”
Anthony Viggiano, 27, of Baldwin, New York, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Valerie Caproni in Manhattan, after pleading guilty in January to securities fraud.
Viggiano was accused of passing tips on eight planned corporate mergers and partnerships between 2021 and 2023 to college friend Stephen Forlano and construction sales representative Christopher Salamone, a childhood neighbor.

Prosecutors said the scheme resulted in more than $400,000 of illegal profits for Salamone and Forlano, both of whom have also pleaded guilty, with Viggiano receiving $35,000 from Salamone in a bag of cash.
Forlano passed some tips to a U.S. Army captain he was friends with, prosecutors added.
The eight transactions included American International Group’s (AIG.N), opens new tab sale of part of a business to Blackstone, and the purchase of satellite operator Maxar Technologies by private equity firm Advent International, a Goldman client.

Prosecutors had sought 30 months in prison, calling Viggiano “far more financially sophsticated” than his friends and “the most culpable.”
Viggiano’s lawyers sought one year in prison, saying the case involved not “staggering greed” but “seemingly overgrown frat boys.”
They also said Viggiano hopes to reenlist in the U.S. Marine Corps, where he served in 2019 before fracturing his hip.
In a letter to the judge, Viggiano said he believed his actions would help his friends address financial hardships, but that in hindsight “this was a catastrophically stupid decision.”

Source: https://www.reuters.com/legal/former-goldman-blackstone-analyst-gets-28-month-prison-sentence-insider-trading-2024-07-17/

The U.S. military announced on Wednesday that its mission to install and operate a temporary, floating pier off the coast of Gaza was complete, formally ending an extraordinary but troubled effort to bring humanitarian aid to Palestinians.
The pier, announced by President Joe Biden during a televised address to Congress in March, was a massive endeavor that took about 1,000 U.S. forces to execute. Aid began flowing via the pier to Gaza in May, an operation aimed at helping avert famine after months of war between Israel and Hamas.

NASA’s Artemis lunar rover, the VIPER, had aimed to explore the lunar south pole in search of ice and other resources.

NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) on Thursday announced the cancellation of its planned moon rover mission, citing cost overruns and launch delays, in a major setback for the agency’s lunar exploration program. According to NASA, they have already spent around 450 million dollars on the program’s development so far.

“Decisions like this are never easy…But in this case, the projected remaining expenses for VIPER would have resulted in having to either cancel or disrupt many other missions,” NASA’s associate administrator of the science mission directorate, Nicky Fox, said, as quoted by news agency AFP.

What was the moon rover mission?
NASA’s Artemis lunar rover, the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, or VIPER, had aimed to explore the lunar south pole in search of ice and other resources, paving the way for planned crewed missions by American astronauts under the Artemis program later this decade.

The rover was originally planned to be launched in 2023 aboard a lander provided by Astrobotic Technology. However, in 2022, NASA requested a launch delay to late 2024 to provide more time for preflight testing of the Griffin lander vehicle, supplied by the Pittsburgh-based company Astrobotic under the new Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, a public-private venture. Following this, the launch date was pushed to September 2025, while the cost of the mission was projected to rise to 609.6 million dollars.

According to Joel Kearns, deputy associate administrator for exploration in NASA’s science mission directorate, the rover was “completely assembled” but had not undergone tests that would certify it could withstand the launch, reported AFP.

NASA’s further plan
The US space agency is now planning to disassemble and reuse VIPER’s instruments and components for future Moon missions.

Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/nasas-moon-mission-hits-a-snag-450-million-rover-cancelled-amid-budget-woes-101721263381523.html

Cyanide has been found in the blood of all six people who died in a luxury hotel suite in Bangkok, say doctors after examining their bodies.
Based on the initial post-mortem examination, they say there is “no other cause” that would explain their deaths “except for cyanide”.
But further tests are being carried out to determine the “intensity” of the deadly chemical and to rule out any other toxins.
Forensic investigators had earlier found traces of cyanide on the teacups used by the victims, all of whom are of Vietnamese origin including two with dual US citizenship. Police suspect that one of the dead was behind the poisoning and was driven by crushing debt – but have not said who.
The victims’ lips and nails had turned dark purple indicating a lack of oxygen, while their internal organs turned “blood red”, which is another sign of cyanide poisoning, said Professor Kornkiat Vongpaisarnsin of the Department of Forensic Medicine at Chulalongkorn University.
Doctor Chanchai Sittipunt, the dean of the Faculty of Medicine, said they still needed to find out how much cyanide was in the blood of the deceased.
“But from what we have detected – from observation, from internal organ check, from finding cyanide in the blood during the screening test – there is no other cause that would be the factor that would cause their deaths, except for cyanide,” he told reporters.
The deceased were found by housekeepers at the Grand Hyatt Erawan hotel in the Thai capital late on Tuesday.
Investigators believe they had been dead for between 12 and 24 hours by then.
The mystery around the shocking discovery made international headlines.
Thailand’s Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin ordered an urgent investigation into the case, stressing that the deaths were the result of a “private matter”, and there was no suggestion of public danger.
Police have since begun to piece together what might have happened.
Two of the six victims had loaned “tens of millions of Thai baht” to another of the deceased for investment purposes, authorities said. Ten million baht is worth nearly $280,000 (£215,000).

Hans de Borst’s hands were shaking as he flipped through the memorial service programme.
His 17-year-old daughter Elsemiek was on board flight MH17, 10 years ago to the day.
Hans was the first family member to arrive in the small amphitheatre at the heart of the MH17 national monument.
“How am I feeling?” Hans repeated my question. “A bit nervous.”
He gestured to the rows of benches where 1,300 relatives and dignitaries from around the world, including Dutch King Willem-Alexander, would soon be seated.
Two hundred and ninety eight people died on 17 July 2014 when the Malaysia Airlines passenger jet en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was hit by a Russian surface-to-air Buk missile, fired from an area of eastern Ukraine seized by Russian proxy forces.
Former Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte was among the guests filing past fields of sunflowers on his way to the heart of the monument.
Mr Rutte, who is Nato’s next secretary general, was asked by the BBC if he and his government had done enough to get justice for the victims.
“I don’t know. I really don’t know.”

Two Russians and a Ukrainian national were convicted of murder in absentia by a Dutch court in 2022.
Igor Girkin, Sergei Dubinsky and Leonid Kharchenko all face life sentences but the three remain at large because Russia refused to surrender them to face justice.
The Buk missile system belonged to Russia’s 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade, based in Kursk, and the three men were all found guilty of transporting the missile into Ukraine.
The Kremlin has always denied any responsibility for the air disaster, which has left an indelible mark on the collective memory of the Dutch nation.

Mr Rutte noted the difficulties in pursuing justice and said he’d been moved by tributes paid in the run-up to Wednesday’s 10-year anniversary.
A few relatives of those who died exchanged hugs and hushed words with the man who was prime minister at the time of the disaster and stepped down little more than two weeks ago.
“I think he did everything he could,” said Silene Frederiksz, whose son Bryce was on board MH-17.
“And I’m optimistic that Dick Schoof [the new Dutch prime mininister] will keep pushing for justice and accountability. He was involved in the MH17 investigation; he understands.”

A decade on, the families are still searching for the truth, and acknowledgement of responsibility.
“MH17 keeps coming back to haunt me” said Piet Ploeg, whose nephew, brother and sister-in-law were all killed on 17 July 2014.
Of the 298 victims, 196 were Dutch but there were victims from many other countries including 43 from Malaysia, 38 from Australia and 10 from the UK.
Eighty children were among the dead.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czq68w2j97zo

A large dinosaur’s skeleton has fetched $44.6m (£34m) at a Sotheby’s auction in New York City – the most ever paid for a fossil.
The plant-eating stegosaurus – nicknamed Apex – is 11ft (3.4m) tall and 27ft long from nose to tail, and “ranks high among the most complete skeletons ever found”, Sotheby’s said.
It was sold to an anonymous buyer, who said: “Apex was born in America and is going to stay in America” – in what is seen as a hint that it might be loaned to a US institution.
Apex was discovered by chance by a palaeontologist in 2022 near the suitably named town of Dinosaur in the western US state of Colorado.

A large dinosaur’s skeleton has fetched $44.6m (£34m) at a Sotheby’s auction in New York City – the most ever paid for a fossil.
The plant-eating stegosaurus – nicknamed Apex – is 11ft (3.4m) tall and 27ft long from nose to tail, and “ranks high among the most complete skeletons ever found”, Sotheby’s said.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0358njg6z6o

External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar was on a two-day visit to Mauritius, from July 16 to 17, for meetings with the country’s top political leadership and to review bilateral relations.

India will continue to support Mauritius on the issue of the Chagos archipelago, asserted India’s External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishanakar during his 2-day visit to the island nation. While Mauritius stakes claim on the archipelago, Chagos is still a part of the United Kingdom’s British Indian Ocean Territory.

Dr Jaishankar said that India will consistently support Mauritius on the issue of Chagos archipelago in line with New Delhi’s stand on decolonisation. Jaishankar asserted that India stands for sovereignty and territorial integrity. During his Mauritius visit, Jaishankar met with Prime Minister Pravind Jugnath who raised the issue and also appreciated India’s stance following Jaishankar’s remarks.

While addressing an event in Port Louis alongside Mauritius PM Jugnath, EAM Jaishankar said, “As we look at our deep and enduring relationship, Prime Minister, I would like to again assure you today that on the issue of Chagos, India will continue its consistent support to Mauritius in line with its principal stand on decolonisation and support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of nations.”

Mauritius’ Foreign Minister Reacts

Following Jaishankar’s remarks, Mauritius’ Foreign Minister Maneesh Gobin expressed his gratitude over India’s stance. “We express our deep gratitude to @DrSJaishankar for reaffirming #India consistent support to #Mauritius regarding the #ChagosArchipelago, in alignment with India’s principled stance on #decolonisation, #sovereignty, and #TerritorialIntegrity,” Gobin posted on X soon after the event.

Source : https://www.timesnownews.com/world/india-backs-mauritius-on-chagos-archipelago-issue-against-uk-article-111796749

Captiol Police as well as Homeland Security personnel noticed the suspicious individual during a surveillance near the convention.

A man in a ski mask and armed with an AK-47 was arrested on Monday blocks away from the Republican National Convention venue—Fiserv Forum—in Milwaukee, Fox News reported.

This comes in the wake of an assassination attempt on the party’s presidential candidate Donald Trump in Pennsylvania, in which a 20-year-old called Thomas Matthew Crooks shot at the former with an assault rifle.

Capitol Police as well as Homeland Security personnel noticed the suspicious individual during a surveillance near the convention, the publication reported.

Police searched the individual’s bag and found the gun as well as a full magazine. His intentions for carrying the weapon with him is unclear as of yet.

What is known for now is that the man was 21 years old and was apprehended from 1200 block of N. 11th Street at around 1 pm on Monday.

The Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office has yet to review the charges against said individual.

Source : https://www.deccanherald.com/world/masked-man-with-ak-47-arrested-near-republican-national-convention-days-after-assassination-attempt-on-trump-3108757

The Republican Party’s nominee was heard on speaker phone saying: “I would love you to do something – and I think it would be so good for you and so big for you,” apparently referring to the 2024 White House race.

Donald Trump appeared to try to woo independent presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr in a leaked video of a phone call, where he also spoke about the assassination attempt, vaccines and babies.

In the footage posted by Mr Kennedy’s son Bobby Kennedy III, the Republican Party’s nominee was heard on speaker phone saying: “I would love you to do something – and I think it would be so good for you and so big for you,” apparently referring to the 2024 election race.

Mr Trump added: “We’re gonna win,” to which Mr Kennedy said: “Yeah.”

“We’re way ahead of the guy,” Mr Trump went on, referring to Democratic incumbent president Joe Biden.

According to the latest national opinion polls, Mr Trump is on 42.4%, Mr Biden has 40.3% and Mr Kennedy is third with 9%.

The latter began the race as a Democratic candidate before declaring himself independent.

Mr Kennedy’s supporters are from across the political spectrum, including liberals, conservatives and independents, and some polls show he would draw voters from both men.

It has been claimed the call was made on Sunday before the two met on Monday at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, amid speculation Mr Kennedy was planning to drop out of the White House race and possibly endorse Mr Trump.

Source : https://news.sky.com/story/donald-trump-discusses-assassination-attempt-vaccines-and-babies-in-leaked-phone-call-with-rfk-jr-13179064

The self-testing kit detects human papillomavirus (HPV), a group of viruses that cause no symptoms but can lead to cervical cancer.

A quick and easy cervical screening test women can do at home could be rolled out on the NHS in a move described as a “game-changer”.

The self-testing kit detects human papillomavirus (HPV), a group of viruses that cause no symptoms but can lead to cervical cancer.

About 13 high-risk types of HPV are known to cause 99.7% of all cervical cancers.

The kit could lead to about 400,000 more checks each year and NHS leaders said they are looking at making it available in England.

The biggest trial to date, known as the King’s College London YouScreen trial, shows the DIY kit can boost the number of women undergoing screening.

Figures show cervical screening uptake is declining, with nearly a third of women in England – particularly younger women – not taking their most recent test.

Experts warned women may refuse testing due to a lack of convenient appointments, embarrassment or worries about the test causing pain.

In the trial, women used a vaginal swab to take their sample either at home or in their GP practice, with those who took it at home posting it for free to a laboratory.

The trial results, published in the journal eClinicalMedicine, suggest over a million more women could undergo screening every three years in England if the kits were implemented.

‘A game-changer for cervical cancer screening’

“Self-sampling has been hailed as a game-changer for cervical screening and we now have evidence in a UK population to show that it really is,” said lead investigator Dr Anita Lim, from King’s College London.

“Women who don’t come for regular screening are at the highest risk of developing cervical cancer.

“Cervical screening participation has been falling in England for over two decades. Currently a third of eligible women aren’t getting screened regularly and in some parts of London this is as high as 50%.

Source : https://news.sky.com/story/game-changer-home-kit-can-reveal-risk-of-cervical-cancer-13178954

China and Russia carried out live-fire naval exercises in the South China Sea this week, Russian and Chinese state media reported, with the two countries having strengthened military and trade ties in recent years following U.S. sanctions.

Both countries were to deploy at least three vessels each for the three-day exercises, China’s state controlled Global Times newspaper said late on Tuesday, citing the People’s Liberation Army Navy.

The opening ceremony of the Russian-Chinese naval exercise ‘Maritime Cooperation – 2024’ took place in the Chinese port of Zhanjiang, the Russian defence ministry said earlier this week on the Telegram messaging app.

During their sea manoeuvres, the crews of ships of the Russian Pacific Fleet and the PLA Navy were to conduct joint air defense exercises and anti-submarine drills with the involvement of PLA naval anti-submarine aviation, the Russian defence ministry said.

Russia’s RIA state news agency reported on Tuesday, citing Russia’s Pacific Fleet, that the Russian Navy and the Chinese Navy conducted artillery firing as part of the joint drills.

The drills follow the completion of a separate joint naval patrol in the north Pacific, which the Russian defence ministry said earlier involved a detachment of Russia’s Pacific Fleet ships, including two corvettes, the Rezky and the Gromky.

Wang Guangzheng of the PLA Navy’s Southern Theatre told Chinese state broadcaster CCTV on Tuesday that: “the China-Russia joint patrol has promoted the deepening and practical cooperation between the two in multiple directions and fields.”

“And effectively enhanced the ability to the two sides to jointly respond to maritime security threats.”

The participating vessels set off from Zhanjiang in southern China’s Guangdong province on Monday, the report added, citing a PLA Navy statement.

The report did not specify where in the contested waterway the drills took place.

On Tuesday in the same sea, the United States and Philippine coast guards also conducted joint training, a bilateral search and rescue exercise, according to a statement by the U.S. Navy released on Wednesday.

The operations, involving a U.S. Coast Guard cutter from the U.S. 7th Fleet and a Philippine patrol vessel, included a joint sail and search and rescue training, personnel transfer evolutions, and bilateral sailing.

“We look forward to fostering our relationship as we strive to preserve a free and open Indo-Pacific,” U.S. Navy Captain Tyson Scofield, who commands the Coast Guard cutter, said in the statement, which added that such operations help develop tactical interoperability across allied navies in the Indo-Pacific.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/china-russia-kick-off-live-fire-naval-exercises-south-china-sea-2024-07-17

Torrential rain on Tuesday triggered flash flooding in parts of Toronto, Canada’s financial center, causing power outages, disrupting traffic and forcing airlines to curtail service.

Toronto Hydro, the local power distribution company, said it was responding to scattered outages that it suspected were caused by flooding at a transmission station. At 3 p.m., about 123,000 customers were without power, it said.

Billy Bishop Airport, situated on an island off downtown Toronto, said the underwater pedestrian tunnel leading to the passenger terminal, was flooded and temporarily closed. At least some flights were delayed or canceled.

At lunchtime, many of downtown Toronto’s normally bustling restaurants were darkened, with kitchen workers and waiters gathered outside, chatting and waiting for the lights to come back. With traffic lights out, cars and delivery trucks backed on city streets, snarling some intersections.

Across the world, intense rain storms are becoming more common because of climate change, weather experts say, putting a heavy strain on infrastructure that in many cities is not designed to handle heavy, sustained downpours.

The Toronto Transit Commission, which operates subway, bus and trolley service, said trains were bypassing Union Station, the city’s main rail terminal. Go Transit, which operates train service to and from Toronto’s suburbs, said the flooding had caused some disruptions.

Parts of the Don Valley Parkway, a major highway running east of downtown, resembled a river soon after the rains began, with images showing cars stalled out in the brownish waters several feet (dozens of cm) deep.

Brandon Rolle, 24 said he was stuck inside his car on the Don Valley Parkway for two hours before the fire service came to rescue him. But his car was still stuck on the flooded highway until it could be towed off, he said.
“They’re saying they have to wait until the water recedes,” he said.

The rains stopped around midday, and Environment Canada forecast partly cloudy skies for the rest of Tuesday.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/torrential-rains-flood-toronto-causing-power-outages-traffic-disruption-2024-07-16

U.S. Senator Bob Menendez was convicted on Tuesday on all 16 criminal counts he faced including bribery at his corruption trial in Manhattan federal court, completing the once-powerful New Jersey Democrat’s dramatic downfall.
Senior Democrats including U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and fellow New Jersey Senator Cory Booker quickly called on Menendez, who has served in the Senate since 2006 and avoided conviction in a prior 2017 corruption trial due to a deadlocked jury, to resign from the chamber.

Jurors began their deliberations on Friday and met for more than 12 hours over three days before reaching their verdict in a trial that had taken nine weeks. Menendez, 70, had pleaded not guilty to the charges, which also included illegally acting as an agent of the Egyptian government, obstruction of justice, wire fraud and extortion.
Menendez remained defiant after the verdict, telling reporters outside the courthouse that he would appeal, though he did not answer questions about resignation. Menendez previously resisted calls from fellow Democrats to quit after he was charged in September.

In exchange for bribes, Menendez helped steer billions of dollars in American aid to Egypt, where one of the businessman, Wael Hana, had ties to government officials, according to prosecutors. Menendez also was accused of seeking to influence criminal probes involving two other businessmen, Fred Daibes and Jose Uribe.

“This was politics for profit,” Damian Williams, the top federal prosecutor in Manhattan, told reporters. “His years of selling his office to the highest bidder have finally come to an end.”

After the jury’s foreperson read the verdict, Menendez rested his elbows on the table, clasped his hands together and stared straight ahead. Hana and Daibes, co-defendants in the trial, were also convicted on all counts they faced. Uribe pleaded guilty and testified as a prosecution witness.

U.S. District Judge Sidney Stein set Menendez’s sentencing for Oct. 29, a week before the Nov. 5 election in which he is running as an independent in a bid for another six-year term in the Senate, but is considered a long shot to win.

Pressure mounted on Menendez to resign from office.

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, a Democrat, said that if Menendez declines to resign, the Senate should vote to expel him. Murphy would name a replacement for Menendez if the senator resigns.

“This is a dark, painful day for the people of New Jersey,” Booker said. “Representing people in Congress demands the public’s trust. When any elected official violates that trust, it is a betrayal of the oath we take to serve the people who’ve elected us.”

A FIXTURE IN WASHINGTON

Menendez has been a fixture in Washington for more than three decades. He has represented New Jersey in the Senate since 2006 after previously serving 13 years in the U.S. House of Representatives. Prior to that, he served in the New Jersey legislature and as a mayor.

Before being charged, Menendez was not only a powerful Senate committee chair but an important ally in President Joe Biden’s efforts to reassert U.S. influence abroad, rally support and money to help Ukraine, and stall advances by China.

Tuesday’s conviction handed a victory to the U.S. Justice Department as well as to Williams, who has made weeding out public corruption a priority.

During the trial, jurors were handed some of the gold bars that federal agents seized from the New Jersey home the senator shared with his wife. Agents also found more than $480,000 of cash, including some stuffed in envelopes inside a jacket bearing the senator’s name.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/legal/jury-reaches-verdict-us-senator-bob-menendezs-corruption-trial-2024-07-16/

ALL cars will now have to be fitted with speed-limiting AI tech due to new EU rules.

The new gadget can, in some cases, slow the vehicle down for you if it catches you breaking the speed limit.

Intelligent Speed Assitance (ISA) systems became a legal requirement for motors across the EU as a law passed two years ago came into effect on July 7.

ISAs make use of AI, GPS data and even onboard cameras to assess your speed in real time as you drive along.

The system will then intervene if you go above the limit it has worked out for the road you are on.

For example, the system can assess things like road markings to determine whether you are in a 20mph or 30mph zone.

From there, there are three types of ISA which firms could opt to install, with each offering different levels of intervention.

First of all, informative ISAs only result in a warning message and sound to alert the driver that they are breaking the limit.

One level up from that is the supportive ISA, which works by increasing the upward force on the accelerator pedal to try and make it harder for drivers to speed up.

Finally, intervening ISAs are the most active, with the system actually slowing the vehicle down, whether the driver wants it to or not, until it goes back under the limit.

Intelligent Speed Assitance (ISA) systems became a legal requirement for motors across the EU as a law passed two years ago came into effect on July 7.

ISAs make use of AI, GPS data and even onboard cameras to assess your speed in real time as you drive along.

The system will then intervene if you go above the limit it has worked out for the road you are on.

For example, the system can assess things like road markings to determine whether you are in a 20mph or 30mph zone.

From there, there are three types of ISA which firms could opt to install, with each offering different levels of intervention.

First of all, informative ISAs only result in a warning message and sound to alert the driver that they are breaking the limit.

One level up from that is the supportive ISA, which works by increasing the upward force on the accelerator pedal to try and make it harder for drivers to speed up.

Finally, intervening ISAs are the most active, with the system actually slowing the vehicle down, whether the driver wants it to or not, until it goes back under the limit.

Officials have emphasised that, for safety, this would be achieved by temporarily shutting off part or all of the engine and will not result in a sudden application of the brakes.

The law is now in force in all EU member states – but there is a loophole for Brits.

The UK has opted out of the law under the post-Brexit agreement with the bloc, meaning that ISAs will not be legally required on British roads.

All cars here will, in effect, have to have them fitted as it is too complicated and expensive for manufacturers to design cars separately for the EU and UK markets.

However, drivers in Great Britain will be able to turn the system off or override it by continuing to press the accelerator.

As such, it is unlikely that cars slowing down of their own accord will be a common site for now.

That being said, the requirement will still have legal force in Northern Ireland because it remains aligned with the EU single market under the Windsor Framework.

It comes after we revealed how drivers could avoid being hit with £100 parking fines thanks to a little-known loophole.

Source: https://www.the-sun.com/motors/11921875/speed-limiting-ai-tech-today-eu-loophole/#

Schools and universities across Bangladesh have been shut until further notice after six people were killed in protests over quotas in government jobs.

University students have been holding rallies for several days against the system of providing reservations in public sector jobs for the children of war heroes, who fought for the country’s independence from Pakistan in 1971.
Some jobs are also reserved for women, ethnic minorities and the disabled.
A third of posts are kept for the children of those categorised as war heroes. The students argue that the system is discriminatory, and they want recruitment based on merit.
Several cities, including the capital Dhaka, this week witnessed clashes between supporters of the anti-quota movement and those who are against it, particularly the student wing of the governing Awami League known as the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL).

Student groups attacked each other with bricks and sticks. Police fired tear gas and used rubber bullets to disperse the clashing groups. Student activists said hundreds of people had been injured in the attacks.

“We blame the BCL members for the violence. They killed the protesters. Police didn’t intervene to save the ordinary students,” Abdullah Salehin Ayoun, one of the co-ordinators of the anti-quota movement, told the BBC.

Government jobs are highly coveted in Bangladesh because they pay well. In total, more than half of the positions – amounting to hundreds of thousands – are reserved for certain groups.

Critics say the system unfairly benefits the children of pro-government groups that support Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who won her fourth straight election in January.

Ms Hasina’s government abolished the reservation in 2018, following protests.

But a court ordered the authorities to reinstate the quotas in early June, triggering the latest round of protests.

Officials say three people were killed in the southern port city of Chittagong and two in Dhaka, while one student was killed in the northern city of Rangpur by a stray bullet.

Media reports say at least three of those killed were students, though there is no official confirmation yet.

The government blames opposition groups for the violence.

“The student fronts of the opposition Jamaat-e-Islami and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party [BNP] have infiltrated this anti-quota movement. They are the ones who initiated the violence,” Law Minister Anisul Huq told the BBC.

Bangladesh’s top court suspended the current system last week, but protests are expected to continue until it is permanently removed.

“The case has been listed for hearing on 7 August. Students have been given an opportunity to present their argument in the court,” Mr Huq said.

In a late-night operation on Tuesday, police raided the headquarters of the BNP, the main opposition party, in Dhaka, following the violent clashes.

Senior BNP leader Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said the raid was nothing but a drama and it was a message for the students to return home.

The protests have been going on for days with the students blocking roads and highways in Dhaka and other major cities, bringing traffic to a halt.

Student leaders said they were angered by recent comments of Ms Hasina who, they say, described those opposed to the job quotas as razakar – a term used for those who allegedly collaborated with the Pakistani army during the 1971 war.

Several student leaders said Ms Hasina had insulted them by comparing them to razakar. The comparison, they said, also encouraged BCL members to attack them.

“They want to suppress our voices through creating a reign of terror in the country. If I don’t protest today, they will beat me another day. That’s why I am on the streets to protest,” Rupaiya Sherstha, a female student at Dhaka University, told the BBC.

But government ministers say Ms Hasina’s comments were misinterpreted, and she did not call the students razakar.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd1rzm4kjx0o

A knife-wielding homeless man was shot and killed near the Republican National Convention in the US state of Wisconsin on Tuesday. The incident follows the shocking assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Milwaukee’s police chief said five members of the Columbus, Ohio, police department fired on the man, who had a knife in each hand, refused police commands and charged at an unarmed man before police fired. Two knives were recovered from the scene, Milwaukee Chief Jeffrey Norman said at a news conference.

This incident came as Trump’s failed primary challengers are to take the stage Tuesday at the Republican Party convention, in an act of support for the party’s prominent figure and newly designated US presidential candidate. The unified front comes a day after the ex-president triggered high emotion when entering the convention hall in Milwaukee as he made his first public appearance since surviving a weekend assassination attempt.

Police released body camera footage that showed officers on bikes talking before one of them said, “He’s got a knife.” Several officers then yell “Drop the knife!” as they run toward two men standing in a street. When the armed man moved toward the unarmed man, police fired their weapons. “Someone’s life was in danger,” Norman said. “These officers, who were not from this area, took it upon themselves to act and save someone’s life today.”

Thousands of officers from multiple jurisdictions are in Milwaukee providing additional security for the convention that concludes Thursday. According to The Associated Press, the shooting fueled anger from residents who questioned why out-of-state officers were in their neighborhood located about a mile from the convention site. The Columbus Division of Police said there was nothing to suggest the shooting was related to the convention itself.

A cousin and others identified the man killed as 43-year-old Samuel Sharpe. Milwaukee residents and activists quickly converged on the site of the shooting, many of them expressing outrage about the involvement of a police department in town because of the convention. About 100 people held a vigil and march without incident on Tuesday night, pausing for a moment of silence at the blood-stained spot where Sharpe was killed.

Source: https://www.news18.com/world/police-kill-knife-wielding-man-near-trump-led-republican-national-convention-in-wisconsin-8968320.html

Republican Trump critics-turned-supporters including Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis spoke at the second night of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.

South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was among a long-list of Republican speakers who took the stage on the second night of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Tuesday evening.

Both governors are former Donald Trump critics turned supporters who doubled-down on their endorsement of the former president in their speeches. Haley’s speech was designed to sway undecided Republican voters who, like her, “don’t agree” with everything Trump says, whereas DeSantis stuck to Republican talking points on major issues for right-wing voters including immigration and the border, underscoring tonight’s theme, “Make America Safe Once Again.”

Trump’s vice presidential pick J.D. Vance – similarly a former critic of Trump – is slated to speak on Wednesday night, and Trump, himself, will give his address and accept the nomination on Thursday.

Haley, a former 2024 Republican presidential candidate who ran in principled opposition to Trump despite having served in his cabinet, said she was “happy” to accept Trump’s “gracious” invitation to speak about Republican “unity” at the convention.

“I’ll make one thing perfectly clear: Donald Trump has my strong endorsement. Period,” she said, earning roaring cheers.

She argued that the country cannot survive four more years of President Joe Biden, which is effectively a vote for President Kamala Harris, Haley argued.

”You don’t have to agree with Trump 100% of the time to vote for him,” she argued. “Take it from me. But [Trump and her] agree more often than we disagree. We have a country to save, and a unified Republican party is essential to saving her.”

She spent the rest of her speech highlighting what she perceived as foreign policy disasters administered under the Biden administration, arguing our enemies knew Trump was “tough” and perceived Biden as “weak.”

“Donald Trump is clear who is our friend and who is our enemy,” she said.

In contrast, DeSantis focused his speech primarily on domestic issues, including immigration and the border as well as education and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs.

He argued that Democrats are more concerned with “coddling criminals” than protecting its own citizens, including, he said, “our own nominee,” alluding to the numerous legal battles Trump is facing

He also echoed Haley’s sentiments about Biden’s foreign policy blunders.

“Joe Biden has failed this nation,” he said, adding: “Our enemies are not confined to 10 am to 8 pm,” alluding to Biden’s 8 p.m. bedtime announced after the first debate with Trump last month.

DeSantis added: “We need a commander-in-chief who is available 24/7.”

He concluded by saying that his Republican party was able to kill the “woke mind virus” in his state, arguing that electing Trump will allow lawmakers a “chance to do this all across America.”

Source: https://www.the-express.com/news/politics/143410/rns-nikki-haley-ron-desantic-endorse-donald-trump

World Aquatics says move is meant to restore trust after Chinese athletes who tested positive for a banned substance were allowed to take part in Tokyo Olympics

Chinese swimmers will have undergone at least eight drug tests by the start of the Paris Olympics, twice as many as athletes from some other countries.

The sport’s governing body, World Aquatics, was under pressure to act after 23 Chinese swimmers tested positive for a banned substance, heart medication trimetazidine, seven months before the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, but were cleared of wrongdoing and went on to claim three gold medals. Eleven of them are competing in Paris this month.

After a review of its decision allowing the swimmers to compete in Tokyo, World Aquatics said the incident “weakened” trust in the anti-doping system.

To rebuild trust, it said, Chinese swimmers competing in Paris will have been tested “no less than eight times” this year by the International Testing Agency, twice the standard level.

It said “a certain number of athletes from specific nations will be tested four times” by the agency which runs anti-doping programmes for many Olympic sports.

Samples of Chinese athletes will ideally not be collected by the Chinese anti-doping agency and not be tested by laboratories in China.

World Aquatics is likely to publish the results of the tests before the Olympics opening ceremony next week.

“What is extremely clear and what cannot be taken for granted is that the trust of the aquatics community is vital to the continued success of World Aquatics as an international federation,” the governing body said.

The body is seeking to reassure the world of sport of its fairness after Michael Phelps, the most decorated athlete in Olympic history with 28 medals, said the World Anti-Doping Agency, which conducted the 2021 tests, can no longer be trusted.

It was also targeted by a US federal investigation for accepting the explanation for 2021 test results when travel to China was not possible due to the Covid pandemic.

Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/olympics/olympics-2024-chinese-swimmers-drug-tests-b2580549.html

Mr Vance, who will become vice president if Mr Trump wins the election in November, was criticised over the weekend after blaming Saturday’s assassination attempt on Joe Biden.

Donald Trump has announced an Ohio senator who once compared him to Hitler as his running mate for November’s US election.

JD Vance, a 39-year-old former venture capitalist, will become vice president if Mr Trump wins November’s election.

The former president made the announcement on his social network, Truth Social.

Ohio-born Mr Vance, a New York Times best-selling author, entered into the world of venture capitalism after graduating from Yale Law School.

The US Marines veteran came to prominence in 2016 with his memoir Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis – which detailed his upbringing and socioeconomic problems in Ohio.

Mr Vance once described himself as a “never Trumper” and was harshly critical of him after his 2016 election win – describing him as an “idiot” and “America’s Hitler”.

However, he has since become a reliable supporter, even attending court in New York to support the former president at his hush money trial.

Blamed Biden for Trump shooting

He is aligned with Mr Trump’s populist mindset and will likely be palatable to his base – perhaps even as a potential successor one day.

Mr Vance faced criticism over the weekend for blaming US President Joe Biden after Mr Trump was targeted in an assassination attempt on Saturday.

He wrote: “The central premise of the Biden campaign is that President Donald Trump is an authoritarian fascist who must be stopped at all costs.

“That rhetoric led directly to President Trump’s attempted assassination.”

Source: https://news.sky.com/story/trump-reveals-jd-vance-as-running-mate-for-us-election-13177636

Collins Jumaisi Khalusha has been arrested by Kenyan police and has claimed to have murdered 42 women over recent years. Trust in law enforcement was already strained after recent protests and crackdowns before the bodies were discovered close to a police station.

A man has confessed to killing 42 women in Kenya, as police have found nine dismembered bodies.

The remains were discovered in a quarry in the Mukuru slums in Nairobi.

The head of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, Mohamed Amin, said that Collins Jumaisi Khalusha, 33, had confessed to killing 42 women, including his wife, since 2022.

They gave no evidence to support his claims, but Mr Amin added: “It is crystallising that we are dealing with a serial killer, a psychopathic serial killer who has no respect for human life”.

Khalusha is expected to appear in court on Tuesday.

On Friday it was claimed that one of the bodies recovered was male, but on Monday police said all nine bodies found so far were women.

It is alleged that Khalusha lured 42 women to their deaths, before dumping their remains in the quarry, Mr Amin said.

He added the latest alleged murder took place on 11 July.

Machete discovered

Police said they had found several mobile phones, identity cards, a machete they believed was used to cut up the victims, industrial rubber gloves, rolls of Sellotape and a dozen nylon bags similar to those in which the victims were found, at Khalusha’s home.

Crowds gathered to watch the remains being retrieved from the quarry over the weekend, with some ending up in running battles with police.

Many local residents were angered by rumours the bodies were linked to alleged abductions of protesters by security forces during recent demonstrations in the country.

The Independent Policing Oversight Authority, acknowledged the allegations of police involvement due to the location of the quarry being “less than 100m from a police station”.

Acting Police Inspector General Douglas Kanja said on Friday that the officers in the local station had been transferred to make way for an investigation.

The watchdog added that all bodies had “visible marks of torture and mutilation”.

Source: https://news.sky.com/story/man-confesses-to-killing-42-women-in-kenya-since-2022-as-nine-dismembered-bodies-found-in-quarry-13178374

Colombia’s soccer federation president and his son were among 27 people arrested during the crowd control issues that broke out Sunday at the Copa America final between Argentina and Colombia, police said Monday.

Ramón Jesurún and his son Ramon Jamil Jesurun were detained after the event at Hard Rock Stadium and charged, Miami-Dade police detective Andre Martin told The Associated Press.

Both men are facing three counts of felony battery on an official after being accused of fighting multiple stadium security guards. Arrest records said both men tried to go onto the field through a tunnel where media was gathering after the match. They were stopped by security, and the police report said they “became irate” at the delay. A verbal altercation eventually turned physical with a guard placing an “open palm” on Ramon Jamil Jesurun’s chest to “guide him back” and the younger Jesurun grabbing the guard “around his neck” and pulling him to the ground before throwing “two punches that impacted” the guard, the report said. The two men were placed into custody after midnight.

Ramón Jesurún, 71, has been president of the Colombian soccer federation since 2015 and is a vice president of CONMEBOL, South American soccer’s governing body that organizes the Copa America tournament.

In a statement released Monday, the organization said it regrets the scene in which countless fans entered the stadium without tickets and “tarnished” the event. The game was delayed for more than an hour as authorities worked to control the situation, eventually deciding to let some fans in without going through security checkpoints.

“In this situation, CONMEBOL was subject to the decisions made by the Hard Rock Stadium authorities, according to the contractual responsibilities established for security operations,” the organization said. “In addition to the preparations determined in this contract, CONMEBOL recommended to these authorities the procedures proven in events of this magnitude, which were NOT taken into account.”

Hard Rock Stadium — the site of 2026 World Cup matches — said security was a shared responsibility among its stadium officials, the organization, CONCACAF (the governing body that oversees soccer in North and Central America and the Caribbean) and local police.

“More than double the personnel” used for a typical event were onsite Sunday, a stadium spokesperson said in a news release.

Miami-Dade police said more than 800 law enforcement officers were at the match. In addition to the arrests, 55 people were ejected, they said.

It was a chaotic scene just hours before the scheduled 8 p.m. start of the championship match between the two South American countries: Fans forced their way in and jumped over security railings and ran past police officers and stadium attendants, some appearing hysterical as they searched for the people they arrived with.

There appeared to be significant damage to the venue as a result. Video and images posted to social media showed the shattered side railings of an escalator inside the stadium, with shoes, soda cans, reading glasses and articles of clothing left behind. Security railings at a checkpoint in the southwest entrance to the stadium were bent over as thousands of people, including crying children, pushed against them.

The Hard Rock Stadium release said stadium officials communicated with tournament organizers around 8 p.m. and decided to open the gates to both ticketed and unticketed fans who were thrust against the entrance in fear of stampedes and serious injuries. The gates were then closed with many ticketed fans left outside.

The stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, which is home to the NFL’s Dolphins, will be the site of seven World Cup matches in 2026, including a quarterfinal and third-place match.

FIFA organizes the World Cup and is a different organization from CONMEBOL. FIFA is an international federation that oversees more than 200 affiliated associations under regional bodies like CONMEBOL.

Source: https://apnews.com/article/copa-america-fans-arrests-jesurun-6f45ab26a4aef6a64034215ac12604a7#

Kim Kardashian, who recently attended the wedding celebrations of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant, shared new pictures of her stunning look, earning praise from fans.

Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant’s grand wedding celebration saw the presence of various global personalities. Kim Kardashian and her sister Khloé Kardashian attended the festivities and stole the spotlight in their desi attire. Kim has now shared new pictures flaunting her look from the Shubh Aashirwad ceremony of the couple. Actress Sonam Bajwa gushed over her look, as did the fans.

Kim Kardashian’s look for Anant-Radhika’s wedding festivities receives compliments from fans
On July 15, 2024, Kim Kardashian took to Instagram and shared a series of photos showcasing her look for Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant’s recent wedding celebrations. Dressed in a white saree and strapless blouse with full sleeves, Kim looked stunning as ever. What grabbed everyone’s attention was her exquisite jewelry, including a statement neckpiece, dangling earrings, maang tikka, and a nath.

In the caption, Kim wrote, “Diamonds and Pearls for the Ambani wedding.”

Have a look at the post!

Fans flooded the comments section of Kim’s post with their praise and appreciation. One person said, “I think she served,” while another wrote, “She looks beautiful in indian wedding attire.” A user stated, “Slayyed literally,” and another netizen exclaimed, “You look like jasmine in real life.”

A comment read, “WOAH you look absolutely AMAZING Kim, just incredible,” and another mentioned, “this is my favourite look!”

Indian actress Sonam Bajwa complimented her, saying, “Kim kaur Kardashian (fire emoji).” Many others used fire and heart emojis to convey their admiration.

Source: https://www.pinkvilla.com/entertainment/news/kim-kardashian-flaunts-diamonds-and-pearls-from-anant-radhikas-shubh-aashirwad-sonam-bajwa-fans-cant-stop-gushing-1328491

Lord Robertson will lead a major review of the UK’s defences along with a former adviser to the White House and a highly-regarded four-star general.

Britain’s armed forces must have the ability to confront a “deadly quartet” of China, Russia, Iran and North Korea, the surprise pick to lead a major review of the UK’s shrunken defences has warned.

Lord Robertson, a former Labour defence secretary and former NATO chief, is being brought back to frontline military policy by Sir Keir Starmer after he led Labour’s last Strategic Defence Review (SDR) more than a quarter of a century ago.

In another novel twist, the government on Tuesday announced two other external experts will work with the peer on crafting the new blueprint for the future shape and size of the armed forces.

They include Fiona Hill, a former foreign policy adviser to the Donald Trump White House who testified against the former president during his impeachment trial.

Her appointment could draw criticism from Mr Trump – who could well be elected back into power later this year – just as the new prime minister and his top team stress the importance of the transatlantic alliance.

Ms Hill, a leading expert on Russia who is British but has US citizenship, has previously likened Mr Trump to President Vladimir Putin. He has said about her: “She doesn’t know the first thing she’s talking about. If she didn’t have the accent, she would be nothing.”

Speaking about the new role, Ms Hill said: “This review could not be more timely given the current global turmoil and rapid technological change. I am honoured to participate in this important and critical exercise.”

The third outside reviewer is General Sir Richard Barrons, a highly-regarded four-star general once tipped to be the head of the armed forces, but who left the military in 2016.

Speaking at a news conference to talk about the launch of the government’s new defence review, Lord Robertson said he and his team would aim to provide “fresh thinking” as he set out what he called the “threats and challenges” the nation faces.

“We’re confronted by a deadly quartet of nations increasingly working together,” he said.

“We in this country and the NATO alliance … have got to be able to confront that particular quartet as well as the other problems that are pervading the world.”

The description of China as “deadly” is far stronger than the more nuanced language used by the previous government about Beijing.

Lord Robertson did not identify the quartet by name but the other three countries are thought to be Russia, Iran and North Korea.

John Healey, the current defence secretary, said the external team would work with the “deep expertise” inside the Ministry of Defence on a review that he promised would be delivered “at pace” within the first half of next year. They will also draw on submissions from academia, think tanks and even journalists.

He said the UK needed a “new era for defence”. Yet he still faces the same old problems of a military that has been hollowed out by decades of cost-saving cuts and with limited finances available to deliver the transformation that will be needed.

The government has pledged to increase defence spending to 2.5% of national income from about 2.2% at present, but has failed to offer any kind of timeline.

Mr Healey, speaking candidly alongside Lord Robertson, said even such an uplift in expenditure would not be a “magic wand” that would fix all problems.

“Because if we simply use additional funding to relieve some of the pressures in present programmes and plans, we will fail to get to grips with the very serious situation we face and the changes we must make to be better fit to fight in the future, better able to defend Britain, and better able to deter the threats that we may face in the future as well.”

Source: https://news.sky.com/story/britain-must-be-able-to-confront-china-russia-iran-and-north-korea-warns-new-defence-lead-13178491

Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, has shocked many Nigerians after saying he doesn’t own a house outside the country.
Mr Dangote said he had two houses – in his home town of Kano, and Lagos – and lived in a rented apartment whenever he visits the capital, Abuja.
He was listed by Forbes magazine in January as Africa’s richest man for the 13th year in a row despite the country’s economic difficulties.
His fortune rose by $400m over the last year, giving him a net worth of $13.9bn (£10.7bn), Forbes said at the time.

The 66-year-old businessman made his fortune in cement and sugar – and last year opened an oil refinery in Nigeria’s economic hub, Lagos.

The industrialist made the disclosure while speaking to journalists at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery on Sunday.

His comments surprised many in a country where the rich elite have a reputation for their opulent lifestyles.

Many wealthy Nigerians own houses in London, Dubai and Atlanta.

His comments have elicited a wide reaction on social media, with some saying it is a wise business decision as it is cheaper to pay rent than to buy a house.

For Mr Dangote, the reason is simply because he wants to see Nigeria grow.

“The reason I don’t have a London or America house is solely because I wanted to focus on industrialization in Nigeria,” he said.

“I am very passionate about the Nigeria dream and apart from my Lagos house, I have another one in my home state, Kano, and a rented one in Abuja.

“If I have houses all over, in America and co, I would not be able to concentrate and build something for my people.”

Mr Dangote is known to own an opulent residence in Lagos’ popular Banana Island, where many high-profile Nigerians also have mansions.

His house in his home state of Kano is a modest one and was used to received his guests following the death of his brother Sani Dangote in 2021.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cw5ynzdep16o

Four people have been killed in a shooting near a mosque in Oman’s capital Muscat, the country’s police say.
In a brief statement, they say “a number” of people were also injured in al-Wadi al-Kabir area.
Officers responded to the incident, and an investigation is now under way, Tuesday’s statement said.
The police provided no further details, but some reports suggest that at least one gunman opened fire with an assault rifle.
“All security measures have been put in place to deal with the situation, and procedures for collecting evidence are being completed as part of the investigation,” the police statement said.
Such violence is rare in Oman, a strategically placed country at the mouth of the Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula with a predominantly Muslim population.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn38vx7g2e5o

The United States of America has a long history of assassinations and plots to kill the president or those who want to enter the White House.

There is a bloody history of US presidential assassination attempts: four US presidents have been killed, others targeted, and a number of candidates as well.

The attempted assassination of Donald Trump, who escaped with a bullet wound to his ear while he was speaking at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, joins a long list of moments of extreme political violence.

Andrew Jackson was the first American president to experience an assassination attempt on 30 January 1835.

The seventh president of the United States was leaving the Capitol building in Washington DC when he was confronted by a man aiming a pistol at him – which misfired.

According to reports, Jackson confronted the gunman – unemployed house painter Richard Lawrence – hitting him several times with his walking stick.

Lawrence pulled out a second pistol and misfired again. He was detained by Jackson’s aides.

Abraham Lincoln

One of the key moments in American political history is the assassination of Abraham Lincoln on 14 April 1865.

He was the first American president to be assassinated after being shot in the head by John Wilkes Booth.

The American Civil War was over and President Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States and a Republican, had the task of reuniting and rebuilding a divided nation without slavery.

One evening, he was watching the popular comedy Our American Cousin at Ford’s Theatre in Washington DC with his wife Mary Todd Lincoln, when Booth snuck into the presidential box and shot him in the back of the head.

Booth leapt from the box and yelled “sic semper tyrannist!” – the Virginia state motto meaning “thus always to tyrants” – at the audience.

Lincoln was taken to a house across the street from the theatre for medical treatment. He died the next morning at the age of 56.

His support for black rights has been cited as a motive behind the killing. Two years before the shooting, President Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation granting freedom to slaves within the Confederacy.

Booth was shot and killed on 26 April 1865, after he was found hiding in a barn near Bowling Green, Virginia.

James Garfield

James Garfield was the second president to be assassinated – by a disgruntled Republican constituent – six months after taking office, while walking through Baltimore and Potomac train station in Washington on 2 July 1881.

The former Union general and Ohio congressman, who became the 20th US president, was on his way to catch a train to New England when he was shot by Charles Guiteau.

Guiteau fired two shots at the president – one grazed his right arm, the other struck him in the lower back.

Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone, tried unsuccessfully to find the bullet lodged in President Garfield using a device he designed specifically for the president.

The mortally wounded president lay at the White House for several weeks and died in September after he was taken to the New Jersey shore.

Guiteau was found guilty and executed in June 1882.

William McKinley

William McKinley, the 25th president of the United States, was shot six months after the inauguration of his second term.

He had just given a speech in Buffalo, New York, on 6 September 1901 and was shaking hands with people passing through a receiving line outside the Temple of Music when a man fired two shots into his chest at point-blank range.

“There was an instant of almost complete silence, like the hush that follows a clap of thunder,” the New York Times later wrote.

“The president stood stock still, a look of hesitancy, almost of bewilderment, on his face. Then he retreated a step while a pallor began to steal over his features. The multitude seemed only partially aware that something serious had happened.”

Doctors had expected President McKinley to recover – but gangrene then set in around his bullet wounds and brought on a severe case of blood poisoning. He died eight days later on 14 September 1901, with his wife Ida by his side.

Leon F Czolgosz, an unemployed Detroit resident and self-proclaimed anarchist, admitted to the shooting.

The 28-year-old was found guilty at trial and put to death in the electric chair on 29 October 1901.

Theodore Roosevelt

Theodore Roosevelt was in Milwaukee while campaigning to return to the White House having previously served two terms as president.

Running again as a third-party candidate, he was getting into his car outside the Gilpatrick Hotel on 14 October 1912 when he was shot.

Folded papers and a metal glasses case in his pocket apparently blunted the bullet’s impact and Roosevelt, frequently referred to as Teddy, or TR, was not seriously hurt.

According to reports he ordered his aides get him to the Milwaukee Auditorium where he was due to give a speech, and told his audience, “Friends, I shall ask you to be as quiet as possible”, before delivering the bombshell: “I don’t know whether you fully understand that I have just been shot.”

He continued: “Fortunately I had my manuscript, so you see I was going to make a long speech, and there is a bullet – there is where the bullet went through – and it probably saved me from it going into my heart. The bullet is in me now, so I cannot make a very long speech, but I will try my best.”

Only after the speech did he agree to be taken to hospital and recovered from the attack.

John Schrank was arrested over the shooting and spent the remainder of his life in mental hospitals.

Franklin D Roosevelt

Franklin D Roosevelt was the president-elect and had just given a speech in Miami, Florida, from the back of an open car when gunshots rang out.

The 32nd president of the United States was not injured in the 15 February 1933 shooting.

All five gunshots missed him – but did hit bystanders. Four received minor injuries, but one fatally wounded Chicago mayor Anton Cermak.

Guiseppe Zangara, an Italian immigrant and unemployed bricklayer was convicted in the shooting and sentenced to death.

Shooting from about 25 feet away, reports suggested he missed because he was only 5ft 1in tall and had to climb up on a wobbly chair to see over the crowd. A woman stood near him also claimed to have hit his hand during the shooting.

Harry S Truman

The 33rd president of the United States was staying at Blair House, across the street from the White House which was being renovated, when two gunmen broke in on 1 November 1950.

President Truman and his wife were upstairs when they heard gunshots – fired by would-be assassins Griselio Torresola and Oscar Collazo.

They escaped unscathed, but a White House policeman and one of the assailants – Torresola – were killed in an exchange of gunfire. Two other White House policemen were wounded.

Torresola and Collazo were political activists and members of the extremist Puerto Rican Nationalist Party, a group fighting for full independence from the US.

Source: https://news.sky.com/story/trump-assassination-attempt-heres-a-list-of-us-presidents-and-candidates-who-also-escaped-death-and-those-who-didnt-13177712

50 Cent put Donald Trump’s face on his iconic cover of his album “Get Rich or Die Tryin’” following the assassination attempt on the former president.

The rapper displayed the edited image during his concert in Boston Saturday night as he performed the song “Many Men” from his 2003 debut album.

Trump’s face was photoshopped onto the 49-year-old hip hop star’s shirtless, chiseled body as he stood behind glass that appeared to be fractured by a bullet.

“Many men wish death upon me / Blood in my eye, dawg, and I can’t see / I’m tryin’ to be what I’m destined to be,” the lyrics read, per Genius.

The rapper also posted a photo of the viral cover Saturday night, writing, “Trump gets shot and now I’m trending 🤷🏽‍♂️.”

The former president was nearly killed during a rally in Butler, Pa., Saturday afternoon when a now-deceased gunman, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, shot at least five to seven bullets with an AR-style rifle.

Crooks was killed by Secret Service snipers after firing the rounds.

A bloodied Trump was rushed off the stage by Secret Service agents after his right ear was grazed by a bullet.

Former Pennsylvania volunteer fire chief Corey Comperatore was killed during the assassination attempt as he tried to protect his daughter.

Source: https://pagesix.com/2024/07/14/entertainment/50-cent-puts-donald-trumps-face-on-album-cover-after-assassination-attempt/

The leader of the Nepal’s largest communist party, Khadga Prasad Oli, was named the Himalayan nation’s new prime minister on Sunday following the collapse of a previous coalition government.

A statement issued by the president’s office said Oli will take his oath of office on Monday.

A veteran politician and three-time prime minister, Oli will be leading a coalition government made up of his Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist) and the Nepali Congress party, the two largest parties in Nepal.

The last government headed by Pushpa Kamal Dahal collapsed on Friday after Oli’s party, which had been a part of the coalition, withdrew its support to join the new partnership.

Oli would have to seek vote of confidence in parliament to continue in office within a month. The two parties in the new alliance have more than half the members in parliament required to prove their majority.

Oli’s biggest challenge as prime minister will be balancing Nepal’s relationship with its giant neighbors India and China, as both seek to wield influence over the small nation. Landlocked Nepal is surrounded by India on three sides and imports all of its oil and most supplies from India. It also shares a border with China.

Oli, 72, was born in a village in east Nepal and has been involved in politics since he was young.

He worked up the ranks of the communist party and was jailed a total of 14 years for opposing the autocratic rule of Nepal’s monarchs. The royals had banned political parties until 1990, when street protests forced then-King Birendra to hold free elections that turned Nepal into a constitutional monarchy, which was formally abolished in 2008.

Oli has made regular trips abroad for treatment of kidneys and has had kidney transplant surgeries.

Source:https://apnews.com/article/nepal-politics-prime-minister-oli-febf3d135e785ebd2d98f374fd86e85c#

Just call it a fashion grand slam.

Kate Middleton delighted royal fans by attending the men’s singles final at the Wimbledon tennis championships on Sunday, hitting the courts in a Safiyaa London Cecilia dress ($1,766) in her second public appearance of 2024.

The Princess of Wales, 42 — who announced she was battling cancer in March — looked radiant in her lilac-colored gown, which featured a twisted bodice, structured sleeves and a belted waist.

She accessorized with a nude LK Bennett leather bag, tan Camilla Elphick Lucia slingback pumps ($395) and black Victoria Beckham VB644S sunglasses ($320 $220).

Middleton was accompanied by her and Prince William’s 9-year-old daughter, Princess Charlotte, who looked gorgeous in a navy blue-and-white polka dot Guess dress and white ballet flats.

The royal’s younger sister, Pippa Middleton, 40, also joined the duo, wearing the same pink-and-white Beulah London floral dress that she wore to brother James Middleton’s wedding in 2021.

The princess — who made her first public appearance of the year at Trooping the Colour last month — serves as the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club’s royal patron, and will present the trophy to the winner of Sunday’s match.

This marks her first time attending Wimbledon in 2024, although her parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, attended two matches during the series.

Queen Camilla also made an appearance at the tennis tournament, sparking debate about her accessories as King Charles III’s wife toted a Lady Dior purse, which was made famous by the late Princess Diana.

Proud mom Carole, 69, however, wore one of her daughter’s favorite brands, Me+Em, during both of her Wimbledon appearances this month.

The princess has worn a number of chic and summery dresses and skirts while taking in the tennis action over the years, ranging from a playfully patterned Alexander McQueen dress to a mint green Self-Portrait look.

Source: https://pagesix.com/2024/07/14/style/kate-middleton-wears-lilac-midi-dress-for-surprise-wimbledon-appearance-with-daughter-princess-charlotte-9/

Shannen Doherty, known for her roles on the wildly popular series “Beverly Hills, 90210” and on the witchcraft fantasy “Charmed,” has died after being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015. She was 53.

“It is with a heavy heart that I confirm the passing of actress, Shannen Doherty,” Doherty’s publicist Leslie Sloane said in a statement. “On Saturday, July 13, she lost her battle with cancer after many years of fighting the disease. The devoted daughter, sister, aunt and friend was surrounded by her loved ones as well as her dog, Bowie. The family asks for their privacy at this time so they can grieve in peace.”

Doherty rose to fame in 1990 as the fresh-faced brunette Brenda Walsh on Fox’s “Beverly Hills, 90210.” Along with her twin brother Brandon, played by Jason Priestley, the Walshes were the classic fish-out-of-water family that had recently moved from Minnesota to Beverly Hills and were constantly amazed at the antics of the L.A. rich kids.

The romance between Brenda and Dylan, played by Luke Perry, spawned controversy in the first season for the storyline where Brenda considers losing her virginity. Their later breakup, when Dylan hooked up with her best friend Kelly, played by Jennie Garth, was also big news, and the show was considered groundbreaking in its willingness to address topics like drug abuse and racism.

The show was a massive hit, and with its success came an inordinate amount of scrutiny and gossip surrounding the cast, including teen-aged Doherty. Though the show had started out with Garth’s Kelly as the less likable character, the perception soon changed and Brenda become the cast member everyone loved to hate on. She was labeled a diva in the press and there was even a pre-internet newsletter called “I Hate Brenda.” Doherty appeared in 111 episodes before leaving the series at the end of season four, amid reports of friction with other cast members, particularly Garth.

By the time the show was rebooted two more times, everyone had mellowed with age and Doherty returned as Brenda in the 2008 revival “90210” for one season and in the later revival 2019 “BH90210.”

After her stormy departure from “Beverly Hills, 90210,” Doherty found her footing on “Charmed,” the supernatural drama following three sisters who discover they are witches and must work together to fight evil. She played the oldest of the three sisters, Prue Halliwell, alongside Alyssa Milano and Holly Marie Combs. In 2000 and 2001, she directed three episodes of the series — “Be Careful What You Witch For,” “The Good, The Bad, and The Cursed,” and “All Hell Breaks Loose,” the last episode she appeared in. Her character was killed off when she left the series at the end of the third season.

Source: https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/shannen-doherty-beverly-hills-90210-star-dies-53-1236071496/

“Despicable Me 4” loomed large at the international box office, earning a mighty $88 million to top charts. The animated sequel’s global haul now stands at $437.8 million. Over the weekend, the “Despicable Me” series of movies became the first animated franchise in history to cross the $5 billion mark.

“Despicable Me 4” brings back Steve Carell as Gru, a reformed supervillain, and pits him against Will Ferrell as Maxime Le Mal, a former schoolmate turned bad guy and rival. The movie is playing in nearly 80 foreign markets, including China, where it debuted across 35,000 screens and 11,000 locations to earn $11.8 million. Universal and Illumination produced the movie.

Another animated smash, “Inside Out 2,” continued to rack up strong ticket sales around the world. The Disney and Pixar release earned $50.2 million from 47 material territories. That pushes its international haul to $777.5 million, making it the fifth highest-grossing animated film of all time, bypassing “Despicable Me 3.” Globally, “Inside Out” has earned a massive $1.36 billion. It is the only 2024 release to join the $1 billion club.

Warner Bros. also got a head start on the domestic launch of “Twisters” next week, opening the film in 38 markets, including Australia, Mexico and Brazil. The sequel to 1996’s “Twister” earned $11.5 million. Next week, the movie will open in much of Europe, including such major markets as France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the U.K. “Twisters” stars Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones and Anthony Ramos; it was directed by “Minari’s” Lee Isaac Chung. Universal has North American rights to the movie.

Source: https://variety.com/2024/film/news/despicable-me-4-international-box-office-twisters-foreign-results-1236071660/

When two young Brazilian women were reported missing in September 2022, their families and the FBI launched a desperate search across the US to find them. All they knew was that they were living with wellness influencer Kat Torres.

Torres has now been sentenced to eight years in prison for the human trafficking and slavery of one of those women. The BBC has also been told that charges have been filed against her in relation to a second woman.

How did the former model who partied with Leonardo DiCaprio and graced the cover of international magazines come to groom her followers and lure them into sexual exploitation?

“She kind of resembled hope for me,” says Ana, describing her reaction on stumbling across Torres’ Instagram page in 2017.
Ana was not one of the missing women targeted in the FBI search – but she too was a victim of Torres’ coercion and would be key to their rescue.
She says she was attracted to Torres’ trajectory from impoverished Brazilian favela to international catwalks, partying with Hollywood A-listers along the way.
“She seemed like she had overcome violence in her childhood, abuse, all these traumatic experiences,” Ana told BBC Eye Investigations and BBC News Brasil.

Ana was in a vulnerable situation herself. She says she had suffered a violent childhood, moved alone to the US from southern Brazil, and was previously in an abusive relationship.
Torres had recently published her autobiography called A Voz [The Voice], in which she claimed she could make predictions as a result of her spiritual powers, and had been interviewed on reputable Brazilian media shows.
“She was on the cover of magazines. She was seen with famous people such as Leonardo DiCaprio. Everything I saw seemed credible,” she says.
Ana says she was particularly taken with Torres’ approach to spirituality.
What Ana didn’t know was that the inspirational story Torres told was based on half-truths and lies.
Torres’ ex-flatmate in New York, Luzer Twersky, told us that her Hollywood friends had introduced her to the hallucinogenic drug ayahuasca, and she was never the same again.
”That’s when she kind of… started going off the deep end,” he says.
He said he also believed that she was working as a sugar baby – paid for romantic involvement with wealthy and powerful men who were also paying for the flat they shared together.

Torres’ wellness website and subscription service promised customers: “Love, money and self-esteem that you always dreamed of.” Self-help videos offered advice on relationships, wellness, business success and spirituality – including hypnosis, meditation and exercise programmes.
For an extra $150 (£120) clients could unlock exclusive one-to-one video consultations with Torres during which she would claim to solve any of their problems.
Amanda, another former client who lives in the Brazilian capital, says Kat made her feel special.
“All my doubts, my questions, my decisions: I always took them to her first, so that we could make decisions together,” she says.
But it appears that advice had a dark side. Ana, Amanda, and other former followers say they found themselves becoming increasingly psychologically isolated from friends and family and willing to do anything Torres suggested.
When Torres asked Ana in 2019 to move to New York to work as her live-in assistant, she agreed. She had been studying nutrition at university in Boston, but arranged to study online instead, and says she accepted the offer to look after Torres’ animals – and do her cooking, laundry and cleaning – for about $2000 (£1,564) a month.
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Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cydvj6951dyo

Former President Donald Trump was the target of an assassination attempt at a Pennsylvania rally Saturday that set off panic as a bloodied Trump was surrounded by Secret Service and hurried into his vehicle.

A former fire chief attending the rally with family was killed, as was the gunman. Two other people were critically wounded.

An AP analysis of more than a dozen videos and photos from the scene of the Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, as well as satellite imagery of the site, shows the shooter was able to get astonishingly close to the stage where the former president was speaking.

Here’s what’s known so far about the timeline of the shooting.

6:02 p.m. ET
Trump takes the stage to the strains of “God Bless the U.S.A.” He waves at the cheering crowd and begins his regular rally speech, with spectators both in front of him and behind him on risers.

Around 6:10 p.m.
— After officers were told that a man acting suspiciously and pacing near magnetometers was climbing a ladder on a nearby building, according to a local law enforcement officer who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the investigation, a local officer climbed to the roof, according to Butler County Sheriff Michael Slupe.

— A man identified by the FBI as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks turned toward the officer just before the officer dropped down to safety, Slupe said.

— Trump is showing off border-crossing numbers when gunfire begins.

— As the first pop rings out, Trump say “Oh,” and raises his hand to his right ear and looks at it, before quickly crouching to the ground behind his lectern.

— Corey Comperatore, a 50-year-old former fire chief attending the rally, is shot and killed. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said Sunday that Comperatore used his body as a shield to protect his wife and daughter.

— Secret Service counter snipers fire back and shoot Crooks.

About 1 minute after the shots
— Video shows Trump getting to his feet and reaching with his right hand toward his face, which was smeared with blood.

— As Trump stands up, he pumps to the crowd with his right fist.

— He appears to mouth the word “fight” twice to his crowd of supporters, prompting loud cheers and then chants of “USA. USA. USA.”