Category: World

Counties where avian flu has been detected in wild mammals since 2022

A polar bear in the Arctic, red foxes in Europe, penguins in Antarctica and a wide range of other wild animals have been infected with the flu virus strain currently spreading in dairy cattle in the U.S.

Why it matters: Up to 75% of new and emerging infectious diseases in people come from animals, and most of those can be traced back to wildlife. Monitoring wild animals for diseases can help scientists identify emerging health threats.

• Government agencies in the U.S. and around the world monitor wild birds for avian influenza, which spreads in bird populations without causing symptoms, and select animals for other pathogens.
• But on the whole, there is “very little surveillance of wildlife for any diseases,” says Thomas Gillespie, a disease ecologist at Emory University. An exception is animals that are commercially important — like deer that people pay to hunt.

Catch up quick: Outbreaks of avian flu in farmed poultry and wild birds started to increase around the world in 2020.

• Soon after, the virus started to kill mammals — seals from Chile to Russia to Maine, red foxes in Europe and the U.S,. sea lions in Peru and other species.
• Bird flu has affected nearly 20 wild mammal species in the U.S. since 2022, including brown bears, skunks, mountain lions and a bottlenose dolphin in Florida.

Now cows are being infected. (They become ill but recover with treatment).

• There’s been one mild human infection detected so far, in a person exposed to dairy cattle, but some researchers suspect not all cases in workers are being spotted.
• A report published Friday suggests that may be “the first detected case of the H5N1 virus transmitting from a mammal to a person,” STAT’s Helen Branswell reported.
• The CDC has said the risk to the general public is low.

The intrigue: “We’ve been seeing bird-to-mammal transmission events in a diversity of wild and domestic animals for about the last 4-5 years,” Gillespie says.

• Scientists are watching for evidence of the virus being transmitted from one mammal to another, which increases the risk of the virus for humans.
• The USDA has confirmed this version of influenza is being transmitted between different cows in the same herd — and between herds when they are moved — but exactly how is still an open question.
• There is also some evidence the virus was transmitted from mammal-to-mammal in farmed minks.

Wild animals are in general thought to get the virus by eating an infected bird or being exposed to its feces.

Source : https://www.axios.com/2024/05/04/bird-flu-wildlife-mammals

Berkshire Hathaway reported Saturday a huge year-over-year increase in operating earnings in the first quarter, while its cash holdings bubbled to record levels.

The Warren Buffett-led conglomerate posted an operating profit — which encompasses earnings from the company’s wholly owned businesses — that surged 39% to $11.22 billion from the year-earlier period.

That gain was led by a 185% year-on-year increase in insurance underwriting earnings to $2.598 billion from just $911 million. Geico earnings swelled 174% to $1.928 billion from $703 million a year prior. Insurance investment income also swelled 32% to more than $2.5 billion.

Berkshire’s railroad business raked in $1.14 billion in profit, down slightly from the first quarter of 2023. Its energy division saw earnings nearly double to $717 million from $416 million a year prior.

First-quarter net earnings, which include fluctuations from Berkshires stock investments, fell 64% to $12.7 billion. Buffett calls these unrealized investing gains (or losses) each quarter meaningless and misleading, but the unique conglomerate is required to report these numbers based on generally accepted accounting principles.

Record cash hoard

The company’s cash hoard reached a record high of $188.99 billion, up from $167.6 billion in the fourth quarter. That massive holding, well above a CFRA Research estimate of more than $170 billion, points to Buffett’s inability to find a suitable major acquisition target — which he has lamented in recent years.

To be sure, Berkshire did trim its Apple stake by 13%. The iPhone maker remained Berkshire’s largest stock holding, however.

Berkshire also bought back $2.6 billion in stock, up from $2.2 billion in the fourth quarter of 2023.

The report comes ahead the company’s annual shareholder meeting, known as “Woodstock for Capitalists.” Buffett will answer questions from shareholders on everything ranging from the conglomerate’s holdings as well as his thoughts on investing and the economy.

This will also be the first annual meeting since the death of Vice Chairman Charlie Munger in November.

Source : https://www.cnbc.com/2024/05/04/berkshire-hathaway-brka-earnings-q1-2024.html

There was “no threat” to the White House after the crash, officials said.

A vehicle traveling “at a high rate of speed” crashed into a gate at the White House complex late Saturday, killing the driver, a U.S. Secret Service spokesperson said.

There was “no threat” to the White House after the vehicle crashed into a barricade just before 10:30 p.m., officials said in a statement.

“Security protocols were implemented as officers cleared the vehicle and attempted to render aid to the driver who was discovered deceased,” the statement said.

The Washington Metropolitan Police will investigate the crash alongside the Secret Service.

“At this time, the incident is being investigated only as a traffic crash by MPD’s Major Crash Investigations Unit,” police officials said in a statement.

Source : https://abcnews.go.com/US/vehicle-crashes-white-house-gate-killing-driver-secret/story?id=109936751

As gold surged this year to its highest price ever, Xena Lin joined the frenzy by making monthly purchases of gold “beans,” pebble-like morsels of the precious metal.

For Ms. Lin, a 25-year-old administrative worker in southern China, the $80 beans — small enough to rest on a fingertip and weighing about one-thirtieth of an ounce — were an affordable way to buy into the gold excitement without splurging for jewelry, gold bars or coins. She had dabbled with investing in stocks in the past, but she said buying gold, especially in this fun way, inspired her to continue investing.

“I’m still working hard to save more,” Ms. Lin said.

Often considered a safe investment during times of geopolitical and economic turmoil, gold has soared in price in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the war in Gaza. But gold’s climb to highs above $2,400 per ounce has proved more resilient, and lasted longer, because of China.

Chinese consumers have flocked to gold as their confidence in traditional investments like real estate or stocks has faltered. At the same time, the country’s central bank has steadily added to its gold reserves, while whittling away at its holdings of U.S. debt. And throwing fuel on the fire are Chinese speculators betting that there is still room for appreciation.

China already held considerable sway in gold markets. But the country’s influence has become more pronounced during this latest bull run — a nearly 50 percent increase in the global price since late 2022. It continued to scale new heights despite factors that traditionally make gold a comparatively less appealing investment: higher interest rates and a strong U.S. dollar.

Last month, gold prices vaulted higher even after the Federal Reserve signaled that it would keep higher interest rates for longer. And it has continued to appreciate even as the dollar has risen against almost every major currency in the world this year.

Prices have pulled back to around $2,300 per ounce, but there is a growing sentiment that the gold market is governed no longer by economic factors but by the whims of Chinese buyers and investors.

“China is unquestionably driving the price of gold,” said Ross Norman, chief executive of MetalsDaily.com, a precious-metals information platform based in London. “The flow of gold to China has gone from solid to an absolute torrent.”

Gold consumption in the country rose 6 percent in the first quarter from a year earlier, according to the China Gold Association. It came on the heels of a 9 percent increase last year.

Gold investing became more alluring as traditional investments turned lackluster. China’s real estate sector, the destination for most families’ savings, remains in crisis. Investor confidence in the country’s stock markets has not fully returned. A string of big investment funds aimed at the wealthy toppled after failed bets on real estate.

With few better alternatives, money flowed into Chinese funds that traded in gold, and many young people took to collecting beans in tiny quantities.

Online merchants are aggressively hawking gold beans. On Alibaba’s Taobao, one of China’s biggest e-commerce platforms, a merchant sold gold beans on a livestream — a blend of the Home Shopping Network and Amazon. She said buying beans was “like shopping, but an investment.”

The tiny beans came in five shapes, including one that resembled a peanut and another like a persimmon. Paying $87 per bean, a person could buy into the gold boom for the price of a hot pot meal, she said.

Kelly Zhong, a teacher in Beijing, started buying gold in 2020 at the outset of the pandemic. She has amassed more than two pounds of gold bars, but she has also invested in the metal through exchange-traded funds. She said she was inspired by an old saying: “Jade in prosperous times, gold in troubled times.”

As she felt the world become more chaotic, Ms. Zhong added to her stockpile, betting that gold prices would only climb. She has stopped buying, but she is not ready to sell. She sees no reason to. The Chinese economy is still struggling, and neither real estate nor stocks seem like a sound investment.

“The money has to go somewhere,” she said.

Another major buyer of gold in China is the country’s central bank. In March, the People’s Bank of China added to its gold reserves for a 17th straight month. Last year, the bank bought more gold than any other central bank in the world, adding more to its reserves than it had in nearly 50 years.

Beijing is buying up gold to diversify its reserve funds and reduce its dependence on the U.S. dollar, long considered the most important currency to hold in reserve. China has been reducing its U.S. Treasury holdings for more than a decade. As of March, China had about $775 billion worth of U.S. debt, down from about $1.1 trillion in 2021.

When China increased its gold holdings in the past, it bought domestically using renminbi, said Guan Tao, global chief economist at BOC International in Beijing. But this time, he said, the bank is using foreign currencies to buy gold — effectively reducing its exposure to the U.S. dollar and other currencies.

Many central banks, including China, starting acquiring gold after the U.S. Treasury Department took the rare step of freezing Russia’s dollar holdings under sanctions imposed on Moscow. Other American allies imposed similar restrictions for their currencies.

Source : https://dnyuz.com/2024/05/05/china-is-buying-gold-like-theres-no-tomorrow

Bernard Hill, the actor known for playing King Théoden in the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy and Captain Edward Smith in “Titanic,” has died. He was 79.

Hill died early on Sunday morning, his agent Lou Colson confirmed to Variety. He was with his fiancée Alison and his son Gabriel. No cause of death was given.

Hill first came to prominence as Yosser Hughes in Alan Bleasdale’s 1982 miniseries “Boys From the Blackstuff”; his character was known for his “gizza job” catchphrase. That same year, he portrayed Sergeant Putnam in the Richard Attenborough-directed film “Gandhi.” Hill appeared in multiple British television series during the ’70s and ’80s, including “I, Claudius,” “Crown Court,” “Rooms,” “Fox” and “Jackanory.”

In 1997, Hill played Captain Smith in James Cameron’s “Titanic,” which won 11 Oscars. He then joined Peter Jackson’s “Lord of the Rings” franchise as King Théoden, appearing in 2002’s “The Two Towers” and 2003’s “The Return of the King,” which also nabbed 11 Oscars. Hill appeared in two of the three films with the most Academy Awards of all time to date (“Ben-Hur” also achieved the record).

In 2015, Hill played Duke of Norfolk, an uncle of Anne Boleyn, in the BBC miniseries “Wolf Hall,” which won the BAFTA for best drama series.

Hill was born on Dec. 17, 1944, in Blackley, Manchester. During his acting career, which spanned over five decades, he worked on other notable films such as “Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride” (1996), “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” (1999), “True Crime” (1999), “The Scorpion King” (2002), “Valkyrie” (2008) and “ParaNorman” (2012).

Source : https://variety.com/2024/film/news/bernard-hill-dead-lord-of-the-rings-1235992436

Since then, the Ukrainian military says dozens of North Korean missiles have been fired by Russia into its territory. They have killed at least 24 people and injured more than 70.

For all the recent talk of Kim Jong Un preparing to start a nuclear war, the more immediate threat is now North Korea’s ability to fuel existing wars and feed global instability.

Ms Kimachuk works for Conflict Armament Research (CAR), an organisation that retrieves weapons used in war, to work out how they were made. But it wasn’t until after she had finished photographing the wreckage of the missile and her team analysed its hundreds of components, that the most jaw-dropping revelation came.

It was bursting with the latest foreign technology. Most of the electronic parts had been manufactured in the US and Europe over the past few years. There was even a US computer chip made as recently as March 2023. This meant that North Korea had illicitly procured vital weapons components, snuck them into the country, assembled the missile, and shipped it to Russia in secret, where it had then been transported to the frontline and fired – all in a matter of months.

“This was the biggest surprise, that despite being under severe sanctions for almost two decades, North Korea is still managing to get its hands on all it needs to make its weapons, and with extraordinary speed,” said Damien Spleeters, the deputy director at CAR.

“I never thought I would see North Korean ballistic missiles being used to kill people on European soil,” he said. He and his team at RUSI have been tracking the shipment of North Korean weapons to Russia ever since Mr Kim met his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Russia in September of last year to strike a suspected arms deal.

Using satellite imagery, they have been able to observe four Russian cargo ships shuttling back and forth between North Korea and a Russian military port, loaded with hundreds of containers at a time.

In total RUSI estimates 7,000 containers have been sent, filled with more than a million ammunition shells and grad rockets – the sort that can be fired out of trucks in large volleys. Their assessments are backed up by intelligence from the US, UK and South Korea, though Russia and North Korea have denied the trade.

Buying and firing

But it is the arrival of ballistic missiles on the battlefield that has concerned Mr Byrne and his colleagues the most, because of what they reveal about North Korea’s weapons programme.

Since the 1980s North Korea has sold its weapons abroad, largely to countries in the North Africa and the Middle East, including Libya, Syria and Iran. They have tended to be old, Soviet-style missiles with a poor reputation. There is evidence that Hamas fighters likely used some of Pyongyang’s old rocket-propelled grenades in their attack last 7 October.

But the missile fired on 2 January, that Ms Kimachuk took apart, was seemingly Pyongyang’s most sophisticated short-range missile – the Hwasong 11 – capable of travelling up to 700km (435 miles).

Although the Ukrainians have downplayed their accuracy, Dr Jeffrey Lewis, an expert in North Korean weapons and non-proliferation at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, says they appear to be not much worse than the Russian missiles.

The advantage of these missiles is that they are extremely cheap, explained Dr Lewis. This means you can buy more and fire more, in the hope of overwhelming air defences, which is exactly what the Russians appear to be doing.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-68933778

When North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un released his latest song two weeks ago, surely he couldn’t have foreseen it becoming a hit on TikTok.

But the propaganda tune has gone viral online with Gen Z users bopping around to the synthy-electro pop.

Most are clearly quite oblivious to the Korean lyrics praising a man who’s vowed to “thoroughly annihilate the US” and launched dozens of ballistic missiles.

“Let’s sing Kim Jong Un, the great leader/ Let’s brag about Kim Jong Un, our friendly father,” the song goes.

It’s just a really great tune, TikTokkers say.

“Taylor Swift was not expecting to get blown out of the water right after dropping her new album,” one fan joked online.

“Wait, this slaps”, “This song needs a Grammy”, “It’s so dystopian in the catchiest way” – they are just some of the enthused comments under TikTok videos.

But the sunny pop hides something more sinister, experts say.

How to craft a propaganda hit

Friendly Father is just the latest in a line of propaganda pop songs churned out by the Communist state in the past 50 years.

It’s peppy, bright-tempoed and dangerously catchy – not that much different from Western pop hits.

But there is a certain Soviet-era tinge to it; Gen Z users describe it as “Abba-coded”, a reference to the Swedish superband.

“In this case, the song has Abba written all over it,“ says Peter Moody, a North Korea analyst at Korea University.

“It’s upbeat, it could not be more catchy, and a rich set of orchestral-sounding sequences could not be more prominent,” he says.

But there’s more than just commercial considerations at play when writing a chart-topper in North Korea – authorities want an earworm that penetrates minds.

There’s no space for abstract phrasing or timing that’s overly complicated , says Alexandra Leonzini, a Cambridge University scholar who researches North Korean music.

Melodies have to be simple, accessible, something people can easily pick up.

Tunes also need to be pitched at a vocal range where they can be sung by most people. The masses can’t keep up with vocal gymnastics, so forget about multi-octave riffs.

Ms Leonzini says the songbook also rarely contains any tracks with real emotion. “The idea is they want to motivate, to strive towards a common goal for the benefit of the nation… they don’t tend to produce songs like ballads,” she says.

There is zero tolerance for creative or artistic freedom in North Korea. It is illegal for musicians, painters and writers to produce works simply for the sake of art.

“All artistic output in North Korea must serve the class education of citizens and more specifically educate them as to why they should feel a sense of gratitude, a sense of loyalty to the party,” Ms Leonzini says.

North Korea’s government believes in the “seed theory”, she adds, where every single work must contain an ideological seed, a message that is then disseminated en masse through art.

Music is one of its most powerful tools – and Pyongyang keeps its pop tracks for those at home. The state has paraded its opera troupes and symphony orchestras on overseas missions – but its lighter ensembles are kept for a domestic audience only.

North Koreans wake up every morning to propaganda songs blasted over village town squares, say defectors.

The song sheet and lyrics of the latest songs – which only come out sparingly – are printed in newspapers and magazines; usually they also have to learn dances to go with it, says Keith Howard, an emeritus professor of musicology at London’s School of Oriental and African Studies, who first visited North Korea in the 1990s.

“By the time the song has sort of been taken into the body, it’s become part of the person,” he says.

“So they know the lyrics so well, even if they’re just doing the actions, even if they’re just listening to it. A good ideological song does that – it needs to embed the message.”

Reading between the lines

And for regime watchers, the two-minute track released last month has an alarming new message.

While Western music fans have been dissecting Taylor Swift’s new songs or breaking down the Kendrick Lamar v Drake diss tracks, North Korean experts have been scrutinising Friendly Father’s lyrics.

It’s not the first song dedicated to Mr Kim. But there’s a noticeable departure in the language and vocabulary used.

He is being referred to as “father” and “the Great” – terms previously reserved for North Korea’s first leader, his grandfather Kim Il Sung.

Mr Kim was called the “Great Successor” when he took over the mantle in 2012 after his father Kim Jong Il’s passing.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckv7yk88q0go

The town of Fujikawaguchiko has had enough of tourists.

Known for a number of scenic photo spots that offer a near-perfect shot of Japan’s iconic Mount Fuji, the town on Tuesday began constructing a large black screen on a stretch of a sidewalk to block the view of the mountain. The reason: misbehaving foreign tourists.

“Kawaguchiko is a town built on tourism, and I welcome many visitors, and the town welcomes them too, but there are many things about their manners that are worrying,” said Michie Motomochi, owner of a cafe serving Japanese sweets “ohagi,” near the soon-to-be-blocked photo spot.

Motomochi mentioned littering, crossing the road with busy traffic, ignoring traffic lights, trespassing into private properties. She isn’t unhappy though — 80% of her customers are foreign visitors whose numbers have surged after a pandemic hiatus that kept Japan closed for about two years.

Her neighborhood suddenly became a popular spot about two years ago, apparently after a photo taken in a particular angle showing Mount Fuji in the background, as if sitting atop a local convenience store, became a social media sensation known as “Mt. Fuji Lawson,” town officials say.

The mostly foreign tourists have since crowded the small area, triggering a wave of concerns and complaints from residents about visitors blocking the narrow sidewalk, taking photos on the busy road or walking into neighbors’ properties, officials said.

In Europe, concerns over tourists overcrowding historic cities led Venice last week to launch a pilot program to charge day-trippers a 5-euro ($5.35) entry fee. Authorities hope it will discourage visitors from arriving on peak days and make the city more livable for its dwindling residents.

Fujikawaguchiko has tried other methods: signs urging visitors not to run into the road and to use the designated crosswalk in English, Chinese, Thai and Korean, and even hiring a security guard as crowd control. None worked.

A notice for tourists across the use road from the Lawson convenience store, where a popular photo spot framing a picturesque view of Mount Fuji in the background Tuesday, April 30, 2024, at Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, central Japan. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)The black mesh net, when completed in mid-May, will be 2.5 meters (8.2 feet) high and 20 meters (65.6 feet) long, and will almost completely block the view of Mount Fuji, officials said.

Dozens of tourists gathered Tuesday taking photos even though Mount Fuji was not in sight due to cloudy weather.

Anthony Hok, from France, thought the screen was an overreaction. “Too big solution for subject not as big, even if tourists are making trouble. Doesn’t look right to me,” he said. The 26-year-old suggested setting up road barriers for safety instead of blocking views for pictures.

But Helen Pull, a 34-year-old visitor from the U.K., was sympathetic to the local concern. While traveling in Japan in the past few weeks, she has seen tourism “really ramped up here in Japan from what we’ve seen.”

“I can see why people who live and work here might want to do something about that,” she said, noting many were taking pictures even when the mountain was not in the view. “That’s the power of the social media.”

Source : https://apnews.com/article/japan-fuji-tourists-screen-9ac5d8f02062ff3c1e573870a6787f16

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday (May 6) arrived in France on a state visit hosted by Emmanuel Macron where the French leader will seek to warn his counterpart against backing Russia in the conflict over Ukraine.

Xi’s arrival for the visit marking 60 years of diplomatic relations between France and China heralded the start of his first trip to Europe since 2019, which will also see him visit Serbia and Hungary.

But Xi’s choice of France as the sole major European power to visit indicates the relative warmth in Sino-French relations since Macron made his own state visit to China in April 2023 and acknowledges the French leader’s stature as an EU powerbroker.

The leader of the country of more than 1.4 billion people, accompanied by his wife Peng Liyuan, was welcomed under umbrellas at a drizzly Paris Orly airport by Prime Minister Gabriel Attal.

Xi is to hold a day of talks in Paris on Monday – also including EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen – followed by a state banquet hosted by Macron at the Elysee.

Tuesday will see Macron take Xi to the Pyrenees mountains to an area he used to visit as a boy for a day of less public and more intimate talks.

In an op-ed for Le Figaro daily, Xi said that he wanted to work with the international community to find ways to solve the conflict sparked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine while emphasising that China was “neither a party nor a participant” in the conflict.

“We hope that peace and stability will return quickly to Europe, and intend to work with France and the entire international community to find good paths to resolve the crisis,” he wrote.

“STABILITY OF INTERNATIONAL ORDER”

A key priority of Macron will be to warn Xi of the danger of backing Russia in its invasion of Ukraine, with Western officials concerned Moscow is already using Chinese machine tools in arms production.

Beijing’s ties with Moscow have, if anything, warmed after the invasion and the West wants China above all not to supply weapons to Russia and risk tipping the balance in the conflict.

“It is in our interest to get China to weigh in on the stability of the international order,” said Macron in an interview with the Economist published on Thursday.

“We must, therefore, work with China to build peace,” he added.

Macron also said in the same interview Europe must defend its “strategic interests” in its economic relations with China, accusing Beijing of not respecting the rules on international trade.

But he acknowledged in an interview with the La Tribune Dimanche newspaper that Europeans are “not unanimous” on the strategy to adopt as “certain actors still see China essentially as a market of opportunities” while it “exports massively” to Europe.

The French president had gladdened Chinese state media and troubled some EU allies after his 2023 visit by declaring that Europe should not be drawn into a stand-off between China and the United States, particularly over democratic, self-ruled Taiwan.

China views the island as part of its territory and has vowed to take it one day, by force if necessary.

“The worst thing would be to think that we Europeans must be followers and adapt ourselves to the American rhythm and a Chinese overreaction,” Macron said at the time, warning against a “bloc versus bloc logic”.

“TWO CORE MESSAGES”

Rights groups are urging Macron to bring up human rights in the talks, accusing China of failing to respect the rights of the Uyghur Muslim minority and keeping dozens of journalists behind bars.

“President Macron should make it clear to Xi Jinping that Beijing’s crimes against humanity come with consequences for China’s relations with France,” said Maya Wang, acting China director at Human Rights Watch.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/xi-jinping-arrives-france-state-visit-4314456

Former Miss Ecuador contestant Landy Parraga Goyburo was shot dead by two armed men in a brazen daylight attack in a city restaurant located in the Los Ríos Province of the country. The shocking incident unfolded in Quevedo in the wake of reports that the Ecuadorian beauty was linked to a notorious gang boss.

Surveillance footage captured the chilling moment when two gunmen stormed into the eatery where Goyburo and another individual were seated, the New York Post reported. Despite attempts to seek refuge, both victims were mercilessly shot by one of the assailants. The other gunman stood watch near the exit as the perpetrators swiftly fled the scene, leaving Goyburo lying motionless in a pool of blood.

See more

🔥🚨BREAKING GRAPHIC: Here is footage of the Párraga Goyburo, the Ecuadorian beauty queen, 23, who was gunned down by assassins in a restaurant months after she was ‘discussed by drug traffickers in secret chat’

The police are currently investigating the incident, working to… pic.twitter.com/aBMzWSaqk8

— Dom Lucre | Breaker of Narratives (@dom_lucre) April 29, 2024

Local media outlet Ecuavisa revealed that Goyburo had been in Quevedo to attend a wedding the day before the tragic incident, the US newspaper said. The motive behind the targeted attack remains unclear, prompting law enforcement authorities to launch a thorough investigation to identify and apprehend the perpetrators.

At the young age of 23, Goyburo gained significant attention as a former beauty queen and entrepreneur. With over a million followers on social media, she was a well-known figure in Ecuadorian society. Goyburo owned a household goods importing business and ran her own sportswear line, showcasing her entrepreneurial spirit and ambition.

Source : https://www.news18.com/world/ex-miss-ecuador-contestant-who-was-linked-to-gang-boss-shot-dead-in-brazen-daylight-attack-8872814.html

The Guardian reported that a purported video, apparently filmed from across the street, is circulating on social media, allegedly showing Lauga being sexually assaulted.

An Australian Member of Parliament was allegedly drugged and sexually assaulted in the country’s central Queensland town of Yeppoon last weekend. Notably, Queensland Labour MP Brittany Lauga shared her ordeal in a post on her social media platforms. She stated that the tests at the hospital confirmed the presence of drugs that she didn’t take. She added that several other women might also have been drugged and attacked on the same night.

Additionally, the Guardian reported that a purported video of the alleged assault of Lauga seemingly filmed from across the street, was also making rounds on social media. The Labour MP was alerted about the same after she reported the assault to the Police.

In a statement posted on social media, Lauga said she had contacted police in the early hours of Sunday morning (28th April).

The post read, “In the early hours of Sunday morning, I went to the Yeppoon police station and Yeppoon hospital, after being drugged and sexually assaulted. Tests at the hospital confirmed the presence of drugs in my body which I did not take. This substance impacted me significantly. A police investigation is underway.”

She stressed that after she shared her ordeal, several other women also contacted her, who might have also been drugged in the coastal town of Yeppoon, on the same night.

“I have had multiple women contact me who have experienced the same thing in our town,” it added.

She further stated, “This could have happened to anyone and tragically, it does happen to many of us. It’s not ok. We should be able to enjoy socialising in our town without the risk of being drugged or assaulted.”

The Queensland Police Service has confirmed that it is investigating a sexual assault complaint relating to an incident in Yeppoon last Sunday.

Queensland Premier Steven Miles said that the provincial government is supporting Lauga in any way they can. He said, “No one should have to go through what Brittany is going through. My sole focus is on Brittany and her well-being. I’ve told Brittany that we’re here to support her, whatever she needs.”

See more

Police are tonight investigating after a Queensland Labor MP reported being drugged and sexually assaulted last weekend.

Brittany Lauga issued a statement this morning with the shocking revelation, saying it may have also happened to other women. #9News@JoshBavas pic.twitter.com/MfWAf9nGqi

— 9News Queensland (@9NewsQueensland) May 4, 2024

Queensland Housing Minister Meaghan Scanlon said that the statement made for “difficult reading”. She said, “Those are shocking allegations … I understand that Brittany is going to take a short time to look after herself and we absolutely support her to do that.”

In her post, Lauga requested people to respect her privacy adding that she would take “time to physically and emotionally heal” after the incident.

She also urged people to come forward if they have any information that could help the Police.

Source : https://www.opindia.com/2024/05/australia-mp-brittany-lauga-allegedly-drugged-and-sexually-assaulted

Several people, including Tesla founder Elon Musk and Dogecoin creator Billy Markus, have mocked the California High-Speed Rail Authority after it proudly announced the completion of the “Fresno River Viaduct” last year.

The state government of California is under scrutiny for its celebration of the completion of a high-speed rail bridge. A project that has cost taxpayers over 11 billion US Dollars, and took nine years for its construction, seems to lead nowhere.

Several people, including Tesla founder Elon Musk and Dogecoin creator Billy Markus, have mocked the California High-Speed Rail Authority after it proudly announced the completion of the “Fresno River Viaduct” last year, a small segment of the state’s long-delayed bullet train project aimed at connecting San Francisco to Los Angeles.

Elon Musk took to his X (formerly known as Twitter) and expressed disappointment with a sad, crying emoji about the project, which reportedly faces the possibility of cancellation.

On the other hand, Billy Markus said in his X post, “This is the most remarkable human achievement ever.”

“1,600 feet of high-speed rail after 9 years and 11 billion dollars. It takes about 5 minutes to walk 1,600 feet, so a high-speed rail for that is a really big deal,” he added.

The money spent on the project includes the bridge and other infrastructure for the first phase of the high-speed route, which stretches from Bakersfield, north of Los Angeles, to Merced, approximately 80 miles from the Bay Area.

Critics responded to an earlier post by the rail authority, praising the completion of the Fresno River Viaduct in Madera County as one of the “first completed high-speed rail structures.”

“At nearly 1,600 feet long, high-speed trains will travel over the riverbed and will run parallel with the BNSF Railroad,” the authority stated.

Images posted by the authority reveal the bridge connected to nothing at either end, prompting some to argue it symbolizes the broader issues plaguing the project.

Reacting to reported estimates suggesting the completion of the rail line could cost taxpayers about 100 billion US Dollars, Markus fired back, sarcastically remarking, “Wow, so impressive. Can’t wait until the year 2400 for this to finish for 700 quadrillion dollars.”

According to the New York Post, Venture capitalist Patrick Blumenthal suggested the authority should reconsider patting itself on the back, highlighting the lack of progress made on the rail-line project.

Source : https://www.indiatoday.in/world/us-news/story/california-mocked-for-over-11-billion-high-speed-bridge-that-leads-to-nowhere-2535592-2024-05-05

Antonio Guterres says he fears war in Gaza ‘will worsen exponentially’ without a truce as Israel’s Rafah assault looms.

United Nations chief Antonio Guterres has renewed his calls for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip as a Hamas delegation is set to visit the Egyptian capital, Cairo, soon for renewed indirect talks.

“For the sake of the people of Gaza, the hostages & their families, and the region & the wider world – I strongly encourage the government of Israel & Hamas leadership to reach an agreement in their negotiations,”  the secretary-general said in a post on X on Friday.

See more

For the sake of the people of Gaza, the hostages & their families, and the region & the wider world – I strongly encourage the government of Israel & Hamas leadership to reach an agreement in their negotiations.

Without that, I fear the war will worsen exponentially.

— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) May 3, 2024

His comments come as CIA Director William Burns arrived in Cairo for meetings, the Reuters news agency reported, citing an Egyptian security source and three sources at Cairo airport.

Egypt, along with Qatar and the United States, has been leading efforts to mediate between Israel and Hamas to broker a deal for a ceasefire and captive release in Gaza.

A day earlier, Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh said he discussed the latest Israeli proposal for a truce with Egyptian and Qatari mediators.

Hamas confirmed on Thursday that talks are scheduled to take place in the coming days with the aim of ending the war on Gaza.

This week, the Palestinian group said it had received Israel’s latest position and would study it before submitting a reply.

Both US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and British Foreign Secretary David Cameron urged Hamas to accept the deal describing it as a “generous” offer. It includes a halt in fighting for 40 days and the exchange of dozens of Israeli captives for many more Palestinian prisoners.

The White House on Friday reiterated its position that the onus is on Hamas to accept the proposal. “Hamas has that deal that is on the table. They need to take that deal,” spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters.

But Hamas has stressed that it would not accept an agreement that does not lead to a permanent ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and the unhindered return of displaced families to their homes.

In November during a weeklong truce, dozens of captives were released by Palestinian groups in Gaza in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. But Israeli forces renewed their offensive after the ceasefire expired.

Looming Rafah incursion
Amid the push for a ceasefire, Jens Laerke, spokesman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, voiced concern for civilians in the besieged enclave.

Laerke warned that a looming Israeli ground offensive into Gaza’s southern city of Rafah would put the lives of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians there at risk.

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/5/3/un-chief-renews-calls-for-an-immediate-ceasefire-deal-in-gaza

Iran released all crew members of Portuguese-flagged vessel MSC Aries, including 17 Indians. Iranian Foreign Minister confirmed release during call with Estonian counterpart.

Iran has said it released all the crew members of Portuguese-flagged cargo vessel MSC Aries that had 17 Indians among its 25 crews.

Iranian Foreign Minister Amir Abdollahian mentioned the release of the crew of the ship during a phone conversation with his Estonian counterpart Margus Tsahkna on Friday, according to an Iranian readout.

Ann Tessa Joseph, the sole woman cadet among the 17 Indian crew members of the Israeli-linked container vessel was released days after the tanker was seized by Iran’s military on April 13.

“In response to the request of the Estonian side regarding the Portuguese ship seized in the territorial waters of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the release of the Estonian crew, Amirabdollahian said the ship, which turned off its radar in the territorial waters of Iran and endangered the security of navigation, is detained under judicial rules,” the Iranian foreign ministry said.

Source: https://www.livemint.com/news/world/17-indian-crew-members-of-cargo-ship-seized-by-iran-released-on-humanitarian-grounds-11714750000148.html

President Joe Biden on Friday bestowed the Presidential Medal of Freedom on 19 people, including civil rights icons such as the late Medgar Evers, prominent political leaders such as former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. James Clyburn, and actor Michelle Yeoh.

Biden said the recipients of the nation’s highest civilian honor are “incredible people whose relentless curiosity, inventiveness, ingenuity and hope have kept faith in a better tomorrow.”

One of them, Clarence B. Jones, said in an interview that he thought a prankster was on the phone when he answered and heard the caller say they were from the White House.

“I said, ‘Is this a joke or is this serious?’” Jones recalled. The caller swore they were serious and was calling with the news that Biden wanted to recognize Jones with the medal.

Jones, 93, was honored for his activism during the Civil Rights Movement. He’s a lawyer who provided legal counsel to Martin Luther King Jr. and helped write the opening paragraphs of the “I Have a Dream” speech that King delivered at the Lincoln Memorial at the 1963 March on Washington.

The White House said the recipients are “exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant societal, public or private endeavors.”

The 10 men and nine women hail from the worlds of politics, sports, entertainment, civil rights and LGBTQ+ advocacy, science and religion. Three medals were awarded posthumously.

Seven politicians were among the recipients: former New York mayor and philanthropist Michael Bloomberg, former Sen. Elizabeth Dole, climate activist and former Vice President Al Gore, Biden’s former climate envoy John Kerry, former Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., who died in 2013, Clyburn, the Democratic congressman from South Carolina, and Pelosi, the Democratic congresswoman from California.

Biden in his remarks acknowledged that Clyburn’s endorsement in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary helped him score a thundering win in South Carolina, powering him to his party’s nomination and ultimately the White House. Bloomberg mounted a short-lived bid for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.

“I can say this without fear of contradiction,” Biden said. “I would not be standing here as president making these awards were it not for Jim. I mean that sincerely.”

In addition to representing North Carolina in the Senate, Dole, a Republican and the widow of former Sen. Bob Dole, also served as transportation secretary and labor secretary and was president of the American Red Cross. She currently leads a foundation supporting military caregivers.

Pelosi is the first and only woman ever elected to the speaker’s post, putting her second in the line of succession to the presidency. Biden referenced her legislative achievements, noted her actions during the Capitol insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, and said “history will remember you, Nancy, as the greatest speaker of the House of Representatives.”

Evers received posthumous recognition for his work more than six decades ago fighting segregation in Mississippi in the 1960s as the NAACP’s first field officer in the state. He was 37 when he was fatally shot in the driveway of his home in June 1963. His daughter, Reena, who was 8 years old when her father was killed, accepted his medal.

Source: https://apnews.com/article/medal-of-freedom-biden-pelosi-gore-a74aa1d194736834975543498ff3919b

Ryan Garcia also weighed in 3 pounds over

Ryan Garcia was a heavy underdog in his fight against Devin Haney in Brooklyn April 20 but still managed to win by majority decision.

The fight was supposed to be for the WBC super lightweight championship, but Garcia weighed in three pounds overweight. So, the belt was not up for grabs.

But the record books are what they are — for now.

ESPN reported that Garcia tested positive for ostarine, a banned substance considered a selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) the day before and the day of the fight.

Garcia denied taking anything, saying he has “never taken a steroid in my life” and doesn’t “even know where to get steroids.” Ostarine is not a steroid but can stimulate muscle growth.

“At the end of the day, I barely take supplements,” Garcia said on X.

Conor McGregor isn’t buying it and wants Garcia punished.

“Cheated the weight and was juiced, lifetime ban,” McGregor said in a deleted post on X, formerly Twitter. “Sad to see, sad to say. Sad and a bit sick. Don’t come near me if I see you ever Ryan Garcia. I am actually disgusted.”

McGregor supported Garcia in his locker room after he lost to Gervonta “Tank” Davis last year, but it seems that support has ended.

The results of the tests were not known until after the fight, according to ESPN. Garcia’s victory could be overturned if the positive drug test is confirmed.

Ryan Garcia during a weigh-in at Barclays Center April 19, 2024, in New York City. (Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy/Getty Images)Garcia knocked Haney down three times and handed the WBC super lightweight champion his first loss.

Source: https://www.foxnews.com/sports/conor-mcgregor-calls-lifetime-ban-ryan-garcia-reported-positive-drug-test-following-victory

Lawmakers in the Solomon Islands have selected a pro-China candidate as their prime minister, in an indication the Pacific nation will remain a close Beijing ally.

Jeremiah Manele won the prime minister vote on Thursday, beating his opponent Matthew Wale in a 31-18 count.

He will succeed former PM Manasseh Sogavare, a vocal critic of the West.

Mr Manele was foreign minister in 2019, when the Solomons chose to switch its longstanding diplomatic recognition of Taiwan to China – a move that shocked regional neighbours.

He has already indicated that he will continue the nation’s close ties with China – including the island’s secretive defence and security pact. Opposition candidates had suggested the deal could be revoked, or at the very least have its full details disclosed to the public.

But analysts also expect Mr Manele to take a less confrontational approach to the Solomons’ traditional Western partners like Australia than his predecessor. He is also seen as a more diplomatic communicator.

The Pacific election closely watched by China and the West
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was among the first to congratulate Mr Manele on Wednesday saying he looked forward to working closely with the new leader.

“Australia and Solomon Islands are close friends and our futures are connected,” he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Voters elected MPs across the country in the April vote, but the prime minister and leadership are determined by elected representatives in a poll which took place on Thursday morning.

Mr Sogavare in a surprise move chose not to enter the prime minister race last week after his party received weaker than expected results in the 17 April general election.

He instead formed a new coalition and endorsed Mr Manele as the party’s prime ministerial candidate.

Mr Sogavare became an increasingly polarising figure in his five years in office, during which China rapidly increased investment into the country.

He stood behind Mr Manele as the new leader addressed media on Thursday after his win.

“I will at all times put the interests of our people and country above all others,” said Mr Manele said.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cxr3xpw9v04o

King Charles has been presented with a beautifully illustrated record of his Coronation, almost a year after the historic service at Westminster Abbey.

For at least 700 years, monarchs have been given a “Coronation roll”.

Stretching for 69ft, the hand-stitched manuscript was written by calligrapher Stephanie von Werthern-Gill.

And there are no nightmare spelling mistakes, bar a single dot missing over an ‘i’ at the very end.

“Most marvellous illumination work,” said the King, while Queen Camilla said she would need “my specs” to read it.

For the first time, the manuscript did not use any animal skin.

But spare a thought for the calligrapher who wrote it.

This 21m-long piece of history, like a massive roll of wallpaper, includes 11,500 elegantly inscribed words, using specially made ink.

In an epic achievement of concentration, Stephanie says she kept going for 56 days, without any weekend breaks, determined to keep her rhythm going, phone switched off, her calm sustained by breathing exercises and classical music.

“It was very intense,” she says, but the outcome “feels like a piece of art”.

“All the right spelling?” joked the King, when he looked at the huge roll, which he said “goes on for miles”.

In fact, there was only a single dot missing on a letter i in the hand-stitched pages of copperplate writing, which she’d managed to spot.

The result was shown to King Charles and Queen Camilla at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday, as the King continues his return to duties after more positive news about his ongoing cancer treatment.

This is the official state record of a monarch’s accession and Coronation, but it is now as much an artwork as a formal document.

It includes intricate illustrations by Tim Noad, who must soon be the country’s most widely viewed, but least well-credited, artist. Because as well as illustrating this historic document, he is the designer of the King’s cypher, the logo that you will begin to see on new banknotes, public buildings, uniforms and eventually on new post boxes.

The roll records the ceremonies, processions and promises of the Coronation service and shows who was there in the Abbey, particularly those with a ceremonial role, as well as the long lists of royal guests, politicians and overseas representatives.

But not everyone gets a mention.

When the document is finally lodged in the National Archives, there will be no record of Ant and Dec or Katy Perry having been there. And there is not even a hello for Lionel Richie. They have been reduced to a catch-all heading of “Other groups”.

There is also no mention of the protests by anti-monarchists that day.

This Coronation roll, the first for 70 years, is intended to be more accessible than its predecessors, so there will be an online video version at www.coronationroll.gov.uk with recordings of some of those present, such as Leader of the Commons Penny Mordaunt, famous for her sword-carrying skills.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-68931958

Myanmar’s military government will no longer allow conscription-age men to travel out of the country for work, weeks after an enlistment order prompted many to try and flee.

On Thursday, authorities said they would suspend all applications from men for overseas work permits.

There is a large diaspora of Myanmar citizens working in other countries in Asia and previously locals had been allowed to leave for jobs abroad.

But the restrictions come as the junta battles increased opposition in the country’s ongoing civil war.

The junta had imposed the conscription order in February, following months of losses.

Nearly 100,000 men applied for work permits in the three months after that, part of a wider exodus of people fleeing.

Young people had previously spoke to the BBC of their desperation to get out of the country. Men aged 18 to 35 and women aged 18 to 27 are obliged to enlist.

The crackdown on the work abroad now is being seen as another major blow. Many in Myanmar had gone to work in countries like Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea as well as the United Arab Emirates.

A 32-year-old man who was preparing to leave the country for Japan said he was devastated.

He told BBC Burmese: “[Everyone] has lost their hope for the future.”

“There are no job opportunities within the country and now they’ve also forbidden us from leaving the country. Are we not allowed to do anything?” he said.

Ko Phyo, a 28-year-old from Lewey Township in the capital Naypyidaw told BBC Burmese the military council’s directive left the country’s youth with no work prospects at all.

The BBC has witnessed how tens of thousands of young Myanmar people have fled the country since the February edict – with many seeking relief in the Thai border town of Mae Sot.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cw8q9vx93q6o

Tory turmoil across England has seen the party’s councillors decimated across England and concede another parliamentary seat in a by-election – just months away from a general election.

The Conservative Party has suffered its worst electoral defeat in years, losing more than half of its councillors who stood for re-election across England.

Labour hailed a “truly historic” result in Rishi Sunak’s own backyard of York and North Yorkshire, where David Skaith smashed Tory Keane Duncan by almost 15,000 votes.

The region, which was electing a mayor for the first time, covers Mr Sunak’s Richmond constituency and is an area Labour has historically struggled to compete in.

Speaking at Northallerton Town Football Club, Sir Keir Starmer said: “We’ve had a positive campaign here, and I am very, very proud to stand here as leader of the Labour Party to celebrate this historic victory.

“And it is a historic victory – these are places where we would not have usually had a Labour Party success but we’ve been able to create that success and persuade people to vote for us.”

Sir Keir also renewed his demand that the prime minister call a general election.

The party also had successes in the North East and East Midlands mayoral votes and in the Blackpool by-election.

There was a sliver of hope for the government, with Lord Ben Houtchen holding on to his role as the mayor of Tees Valley.

Appearing alongside Lord Houchen at a victory rally, Rishi Sunak said: “I’ve got a message for the Labour Party too because they know that they have to win here in order to win a general election – they know that.

“They assumed that Tees Valley would stroll back to them – but it didn’t.”

This victory is likely to have quelled talk of rebellion among disenchanted Tory MPs who had threatened to oust the prime minister if the results proved a disaster, but it remains to be seen whether the Tories can hold on to the West Midlands mayoralty.

Kevin Spacey has responded to abuse allegations against him in the new doc “Spacey Unmasked” via a video response posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Journalist Dan Wootton interviewed Spacey in a lengthy video titled “Right of Reply,” and Spacey asserted, “I’ve got nothing left to hide.”

“Why didn’t you just deny it?” Wootton asked about the early Anthony Rapp allegation. Spacey said he didn’t know what to do. “I honestly do not remember the encounter. If I did behave then as he described, I owe him a sincere apology for what would have been deeply inappropriate drunken behavior,” Spacey read from his statement to Buzzfeed at the time.

Wootton proposes that Rapp brought his allegations out of jealousy, while Spacey explains how he didn’t grasp the assault allegations at first, thinking that Rapp’s motive was to out his homosexuality. “I will never again apologize for something I did not do,” he says.

Popular on Variety

Spacey says he would have preferred to come out onstage if he had won an Emmy, saying, “It sure is nice to hold a woman for a change.” However, he didn’t win in 2016 or 2017.

He also tells Wootton of his confusion about modern romantic encounters. “What are the rules of engagement here?” he asks rhetorically.

“Nobody in Hollywood has ever presented a path back for me,” Spacey continues, “There’s no coursework material. I’ve been given no boxes to check, no nothing. It seems that some are content with just canceling me forever. It’s a life sentence.”

“Spacey Unmasked” is set to air on Channel 4 in the U.K. on May 6 or 7, and has also been acquired by Max for the U.S. The two-part documentary features previously unheard of testimonies about the actor’s alleged sexually inappropriate behavior, including a claim that he groped another “House of Cards” actor on set and an accusation that he made an “aggressive sexual move” on a classmate in high school.

Spacey first spoke out against the doc in a post on X on Thursday, writing: “Over the last week, I have repeatedly requested that Channel 4 afford me more than 7 days to respond to allegations made against me dating back 48 years and provide me with sufficient details to investigate these matters. Channel 4 has refused on the basis that they feel that asking for a response in 7 days to new, anonymized and non-specific allegations is a ‘fair opportunity’ for me to refute any allegations made against me. I will not sit back and be attacked by a dying network’s one-sided ‘documentary’ about me in their desperate attempt for ratings.”

Source : https://variety.com/2024/tv/global/kevin-spacey-doc-alleged-abuse-video-response-1235991090/

Within minutes of getting the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine, Michelle Zimmerman felt pain racing from her left arm up to her ear and down to her fingertips. Within days, she was unbearably sensitive to light and struggled to remember simple facts.

She was 37, with a Ph.D. in neuroscience, and until then could ride her bicycle 20 miles, teach a dance class and give a lecture on artificial intelligence, all in the same day. Now, more than three years later, she lives with her parents. Eventually diagnosed with brain damage, she cannot work, drive or even stand for long periods of time.

“When I let myself think about the devastation of what this has done to my life, and how much I’ve lost, sometimes it feels even too hard to comprehend,” said Dr. Zimmerman, who believes her injury is due to a contaminated vaccine batch.

The Covid vaccines, a triumph of science and public health, are estimated to have prevented millions of hospitalizations and deaths. Yet even the best vaccines produce rare but serious side effects. And the Covid vaccines have been given to more than 270 million people in the United States, in nearly 677 million doses.

Dr. Zimmerman’s account is among the more harrowing, but thousands of Americans believe they suffered serious side effects following Covid vaccination. As of April, just over 13,000 vaccine-injury compensation claims have been filed with the federal government — but to little avail. Only 19 percent have been reviewed. Only 47 of those were deemed eligible for compensation, and only 12 have been paid out, at an average of about $3,600.

Some scientists fear that patients with real injuries are being denied help and believe that more needs to be done to clarify the possible risks.

“At least long Covid has been somewhat recognized,” said Akiko Iwasaki, an immunologist and vaccine expert at Yale University. But people who say they have post-vaccination injuries are “just completely ignored and dismissed and gaslighted,” she added.

In interviews and email exchanges conducted over several months, federal health officials insisted that serious side effects were extremely rare and that their surveillance efforts were more than sufficient to detect patterns of adverse events.

“Hundreds of millions of people in the United States have safely received Covid vaccines under the most intense safety monitoring in U.S. history,” Jeff Nesbit, a spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services, said in an emailed statement.

But in a recent interview, Dr. Janet Woodcock, a longtime leader of the Food and Drug Administration, who retired in February, said she believed that some recipients had experienced uncommon but “serious” and “life-changing” reactions beyond those described by federal agencies.

“I feel bad for those people,” said Dr. Woodcock, who became the F.D.A.’s acting commissioner in January 2021 as the vaccines were rolling out. “I believe their suffering should be acknowledged, that they have real problems, and they should be taken seriously.”

“I’m disappointed in myself,” she added. “I did a lot of things I feel very good about, but this is one of the few things I feel I just didn’t bring it home.”

Federal officials and independent scientists face a number of challenges in identifying potential vaccine side effects.

The nation’s fragmented health care system complicates detection of very rare side effects, a process that depends on an analysis of huge amounts of data. That’s a difficult task when a patient may be tested for Covid at Walgreens, get vaccinated at CVS, go to a local clinic for minor ailments and seek care at a hospital for serious conditions. Each place may rely on different health record systems.

There is no central repository of vaccine recipients, nor of medical records, and no easy to way to pool these data. Reports to the largest federal database of so-called adverse events can be made by anyone, about anything. It’s not even clear what officials should be looking for.

“I mean, you’re not going to find ‘brain fog’ in the medical record or claims data, and so then you’re not going to find” a signal that it may be linked to vaccination, Dr. Woodcock said. If such a side effect is not acknowledged by federal officials, “it’s because it doesn’t have a good research definition,” she added. “It isn’t, like, malevolence on their part.”

The government’s understaffed compensation fund has paid so little because it officially recognizes few side effects for Covid vaccines. And vaccine supporters, including federal officials, worry that even a whisper of possible side effects feeds into misinformation spread by a vitriolic anti-vaccine movement.

‘I’m Not Real’

Patients who believe they experienced serious side effects say they have received little support or acknowledgment.

Shaun Barcavage, 54, a nurse practitioner in New York City who has worked on clinical trials for H.I.V. and Covid, said that ever since his first Covid shot, merely standing up sent his heart racing — a symptom suggestive of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, a neurological disorder that some studies have linked to both Covid and, much less often, vaccination.

He also experienced stinging pain in his eyes, mouth and genitals, which has abated, and tinnitus, which has not.

“I can’t get the government to help me,” Mr. Barcavage said of his fruitless pleas to federal agencies and elected representatives. “I am told I’m not real. I’m told I’m rare. I’m told I’m coincidence.”

Renee France, 49, a physical therapist in Seattle, developed Bell’s palsy — a form of facial paralysis, usually temporary — and a dramatic rash that neatly bisected her face. Bell’s palsy is a known side effect of other vaccines, and it has been linked to Covid vaccination in some studies.

But Ms. France said doctors were dismissive of any connection to the Covid vaccines. The rash, a bout of shingles, debilitated her for three weeks, so Ms. France reported it to federal databases twice.

“I thought for sure someone would reach out, but no one ever did,” she said.

Similar sentiments were echoed in interviews, conducted over more than a year, with 30 people who said they had been harmed by Covid shots. They described a variety of symptoms following vaccination, some neurological, some autoimmune, some cardiovascular.

All said they had been turned away by physicians, told their symptoms were psychosomatic, or labeled anti-vaccine by family and friends — despite the fact that they supported vaccines.

Even leading experts in vaccine science have run up against disbelief and ambivalence.

Source : https://dnyuz.com/2024/05/03/thousands-believe-covid-vaccines-harmed-them-is-anyone-listening

ISRAELIS have been warned not to go to the Eurovision Song Contest in Sweden amid fears of a terrorist attack.

Authorities fear terrorist factions “will exploit protests” planned against Israel taking part in this year’s competition.

Sweden has promised a dazzling show from May 7 to 11, but plans have been marred by demonstrations organised over Israel’s military offensive in Gaza – triggered by Hamas’ deadly October 7 attack.

Protesters are set to take to the streets on May 9, when Israel will take part in the second semi-final, and again on the day of the final, May 11.

Israel’s National Security Council (NSC) has now urged citizens to avoid travelling to host city Malmo, citing “well-founded concerns” of terrorist attacks.

It comes as ISIS could be gearing up for a new wave of attacks after cops foiled 12 terror plots across Europe in the past year.

There are growing concerns the terror group could leverage the Middle East conflict to launch bloodshed in the continent and spark chaos.

In an unusual move, the Israeli military said its home front command mobile app will also provide “real-time notifications” with any emergency instructions throughout the contest.

Typically, the app alerts Israelis to take shelter from incoming rocket fire.

The security council said it had “a well-founded concern that terrorist elements will exploit the protests and the anti-Israel mood to carry out attacks against Israelis attending Eurovision”.

It has also raised the travel alert for Malmo from level two (potential threat) to level three (moderate threat).

A spokesman for the Israeli Defence Forces said: “This is a unique move adapted for the Eurovision event only and within the defined schedules”.

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organises the contest, resisted calls for Israel and its contestant, Eden Golan, to be excluded.

Israel was permitted to compete after it agreed to modify the lyrics of its original song “October Rain” which the EBU said made reference to the October 7 assault.

Golan will instead perform a version called “Hurricane”.

She told AFP news agency: “I was kind of shocked when the EBU didn’t approve the song. I don’t think the first version was political.”

But Golan, 20, has been told she must not leave her hotel room except from to perform at the show, Swedish paper Expressen reports.

It comes as organisers have been forced to ramp up security measures, with more than 100,000 visitors expected to swarm Sweden’s third-largest city.

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/11265731/eurovision-isis-threat-sweden-terrorists-attacks

Hope Hicks wept on the stand today in the hush money trial of her former boss moments after a prosecutor had finished questioning her about her dealings with Trump and Trump’s lawyer, Michael Cohen. Finished talking to Assistant D.A. Matthew Coloangela on the stand in Manhattan, the former White House Communications Director had just begun taking questions from a defense lawyer when she turned her head away from the courtroom gallery and, crying audibly, reached for a tissue to dab away tears.

“Ms. Hicks, do you need a break?” Judge Juan Merchan asked of the much anticipated witness. “Yes,” she replied in a shaky voice.

The court recessed for about 10 minutes, and Ms. Hicks returned to the stand. “Sorry about that,” she said.

Earlier, Hicks discussed the Trump campaign’s decision to deny a Wall Street Journal story about American Media’s hush money deal with former Playboy model Karen McDougal. The story was published four days before the 2016 election and it also mentioned porn actor Stormy Daniels.

Hicks, the Trump campaign’s press secretary, testified that her instructions to tell the Journal that Trump denied any sexual involvement with either woman came directly from Trump himself. “I know very clearly that he stated the denials,” she said.

When Cohen later texted her “I have a statement from Storm denying everything,” Hicks testified, “I didn’t know what he was talking about and I didn’t want to know.”

In February, after the election, The New York Times reported that Cohen admitted to paying $130,000 to Daniels for her silence — the payment that triggered the Manhattan District Attorney’s investigation of Trump and led to his indictment on charges of falsifying business records to conceal a reimbursement of Cohen.

Hicks testified that Trump told her, based on his own conversation about the Times article with Cohen, “He did it out of the kindness of his own heart and he never told anybody about it.”

Assistant District Attorney Matthew Colangelo asked Hicks if that sounded like the Michael Cohen she knew — a question that drew an objection from the defense, which Judge Merchan overruled.

“I’d say that would be out of character for Michael,” Hicks replied. “I didn’t know Michael to be an especially charitable person or selfless person.”

In a gentle cross-examination by Trump lawyer Emil Bove after her brief break to compose herself, Hicks described Cohen as a nuisance — someone continually inserting himself into a presidential campaign in which he had no official role.

“He liked to call himself a fixer or Mr. Fix-it, and it was only because he first broke it,” she said with a laugh.

Source : https://deadline.com/2024/05/url-hope-hicks-testifies-trump-hush-money-trial-1235903664

The United Nations said on Thursday Gaza’s post-war reconstruction would require an international effort unseen since the aftermath of World War II, estimating it could cost up to $40 billion.

It came as Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh struck an optimistic tone over a possible truce and hostage release deal, after weeks of largely stalled negotiations.

There have been reports of sticking points between the militant group and Israel nearly seven months into the war that has devastated the Palestinian territory.

But Haniyeh, head of the militant group’s Qatar-based political bureau, said in calls to Egyptian and Qatari mediators that Hamas was studying the latest proposal with a “positive spirit”.

Much of Gaza has been reduced to a grey landscape of rubble, and the United Nations estimated the cost of reconstruction at between $30 billion and $40 billion.

“The scale of the destruction is huge and unprecedented… this is a mission that the global community has not dealt with since World War II,” assistant secretary-general Abdallah al-Dardari told a briefing in the Jordanian capital Amman.

He said “72 percent of all residential buildings have been completely or partially destroyed”.

Reconstruction is made more difficult by the presence of large quantities of unexploded ordnance that Gaza’s Civil Defence agency says triggers “more than 10 explosions every week”.

The war started with Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel that resulted in the deaths of 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

Israel estimates that 129 captives seized by militants during their attack remain in Gaza. The military says 34 of them are dead.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive against Hamas has killed at least 34,596 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry.

‘Get this done’

Mediators have proposed a deal that would halt fighting for 40 days and exchange Israeli hostages for potentially thousands of Palestinian prisoners, according to details released by Britain.

Source : https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20240502-doubts-grow-over-gaza-truce-plan

A whistleblower who accused Boeing of ignoring safety flaws in the 737 MAX airplanes has died.

Joshua Dean, a former Spirit AeroSystems quality auditor, claimed he was fired for flagging concerns about lax standards at the company’s manufacturing plant in Wichita, Kansas.

His sudden death at the age of 45 on Tuesday came after suffering from a fast-spreading infection, according to his family and lawyer.

Dean’s lawyer Brian Knowles said it is a ‘loss to the aviation community and the flying public’.

Knowles told Al Jazeera: ‘He possessed tremendous courage to stand up for what he felt was true and right and raised quality and safety issues.

‘Aviation companies should encourage and incentivise those that do raise these concerns.

‘Otherwise, safety and quality are truly not these companies’ top priorities.’

Boeing came under fire for potentially fatal defects in its 737 MAX series.

The aircraft was involved in near-disaster when a door panel fell off of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, a 737 MAX 9, mid-flight in January.

Passengers lost phones and clothes, and were nearly sucked out, when the panel was sucked out, causing the plane to depressurize.

Spirit AeroSystems had built the door panel.

In a complaint filed with the Federal Aviation Administration, Dean accused Spirit of ‘serious and gross’ quality failings at its production facility.

He claimed his concerns about a serious manufacturing defect had been ignored.

Dean later testified in a shareholder lawsuit against the company.

He believed he was fired from Spirit in April 2023 to discourage others from speaking out about concerns.

A spokesperson for the company said: ‘This sudden loss is stunning news here at Spirit and for his loved ones.’

Dean is the second Boeing whistleblower to die this year.

John Barnett, a 62-year-old who was also represented by Brian Knowles, was found dead with an apparently ‘self-inflicted’ gunshot wound in March.

He had been in the middle of a lawsuit against Boeing after suffering retaliation for exposing safety problems with the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

Source : https://metro.co.uk/2024/05/02/boeing-whistleblower-dies-suddenly-claiming-safety-flaws-ignored-20760390/

A combination of failing food supply, rising sea levels and areas of the planet becoming too hot to live will ultimately lead to almost all mammals, including humans, to die out.

However, the cause may not be what you imagine.

While climate change is a very real threat to today’s population, this apocalyptic scenario, predicted by a supercomputer, will be caused by all the continents crashing into each other to form one giant landmass.

A hot, dry and largely uninhabitable supercontinent – luckily 250 million years from now.

By this point in the future, the Sun will be brighter and warm the Earth more, while the supercontinent formation will lead to more frequent volcanic eruptions that will produce high releases of carbon dioxide (CO2).

Together this will lead to the Earth being between 40 to 50C.

Lead author Dr Alexander Farnsworth, from the University of Bristol, said: ‘The newly-emerged supercontinent would effectively create a triple whammy, comprising the continentality effect, hotter Sun and more CO2 in the atmosphere, of increasing heat for much of the planet.’

Continentality is one factor effecting the climate depending on how far areas are from the sea.

‘The result is a mostly hostile environment devoid of food and water sources for mammals,’ said Dr Farnsworth. ‘Humans – along with many other species – would expire due to their inability to shed this heat through sweat, cooling their bodies.’

Source : https://metro.co.uk/2024/05/01/supercomputer-predicts-humans-will-face-a-triple-whammy-extinction-event-20754691/

A Saudi court’s decision to sentence fitness influencer Manahel al-Otaibi to 11 years in prison highlights what activists describe as a fierce crackdown on even vaguely critical online speech.

In the past two years the Saudi judiciary has “convicted and handed down lengthy prison terms on dozens of individuals for their expression on social media”, the human rights groups Amnesty International and ALQST said in a joint statement on Tuesday.

These cases are generally handled by the Specialised Criminal Court, which was established in 2008 to try suspects accused of terrorism, and Saudi authorities do not often comment on them.

Here are some of the most high-profile recent examples:

– Nourah al-Qahtani –

A mother-of-five, Qahtani was arrested in July 2021 largely in connection with critical posts on Twitter, since rebranded as X, according to a sentencing document provided by Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), a Washington-based rights group.

She initially received a prison sentence of six-and-a-half years, however prosecutors appealed for a harsher sentence and got their wish: a 45-year term issued in mid-2022.

Qahtani’s Twitter account, as identified in the sentencing document, features numerous posts criticising the government and others warning of attempts to arrest those behind public protests, which are not tolerated in Saudi Arabia.

The court found Qahtani had used Twitter “to challenge the religion and justice” of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom’s 38-year-old de facto ruler, according to the sentencing document.

It also says she incited “the activities of those who seek to disturb public order and destabilise the security of society and the stability of the state” by “publishing false and malicious tweets”.

Qahtani did not have a large public profile and it is not clear how her anonymous Twitter account, which has fewer than 600 followers, attracted the attention of Saudi authorities.

– Salma al-Shehab –

A member of Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia’s Shiite minority, Shehab had been studying for a doctorate in Britain and was arrested in January 2021 while visiting on holiday.

Source : https://www.yahoo.com/news/tweets-terrorism-saudis-jailed-online-124628450.html

Police forcibly removed scores of defiant pro-Palestinian protesters at several colleges on Thursday, including taking down an encampment at UCLA in a jarring scene that underscored the heightened chaos that has erupted at universities this week.

In the pre-dawn hours, helmeted police swarmed a tent city set up at the University of California in Los Angeles, using flash bangs and riot gear to push through lines of protesters who linked arms in a futile attempt to halt their advance.

Los Angeles police said on social media that 210 people were arrested at UCLA, and hundreds of arrests were made at other universities overnight and on Thursday.

“I’m a student here,” one UCLA protester told cameras as he was led away, his hands bound. “Please don’t fail us. Don’t fail us.”

Hours later, the student, who would only give his first name as Ryan, was back on campus and vowed he would not stop fighting.

“We will be back,” said Ryan, who was cited for unlawful assembly. “We will be disrupting. We will be demanding divestment.”

Students have rallied or set up tents at dozens of universities in recent days to protest Israel’s war on Gaza. Demonstrators have called on President Joe Biden, who has supported Israel’s right to defend itself, to do more to stop the bloodshed in Gaza and demanded schools divest from companies that support Israel’s government.

Many of the schools, including Columbia University in New York City, have called in police to quell the protests.

Biden broke his silence on the demonstrations on Thursday after the UCLA raid, saying Americans have the right to protest but not to unleash violence.

“Destroying property is not a peaceful protest,” he said at the White House. “It’s against the law. Vandalism, trespassing, breaking windows, shutting down campuses, forcing the cancelling of classes and graduations – none of this is a peaceful protest.”

Biden, who is seeking re-election in November against Republican former President Donald Trump, has walked a careful line as he confronts criticism from both the right and the left over his Israel policy.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/us/california-police-flatten-pro-palestinian-camp-ucla-arrest-protesters-2024-05-02

Follow the Politics Hub for all the latest updates as the results come in and watch our special programme hosted by Jonathan Samuels, with more coverage over the weekend as results continue to come in.

Vote counting is under way after a range of local elections took place across England and Wales.

More than 2,600 council seats across 107 councils are up for grabs in England, alongside 11 mayoral elections, a parliamentary seat and police and crime commissioners throughout England and Wales.

Early results saw Labour win Hartlepool Council from no overall control – something a spokesperson called “a ground-breaking moment” after their loss there in the by-election of 2021 – and they claimed victory in Thurrock, Essex, ahead of the formal declaration.

The party also held onto local authorities in Sunderland, Newcastle and South Tyneside, while the Conservatives held Broxbourne in Hertfordshire.

Sky News is covering the results overnight with a special programme hosted by Jonathan Samuels, and coverage into the weekend.

The results unfolding in the next hours and days will give an indicator of public opinion on the political parties as the UK heads towards a general election.

Labour is hoping to make gains across the country, while the Conservatives will hope to minimise losses as they sit around 20 points behind the opposition in the polls.

Keen attention will be paid to the mayoral races being held in the West Midlands and the Tees Valley – Red Wall seats that the Conservatives won under Boris Johnson with mayors Andy Street and Lord Ben Houchen respectively.

Losses there could prove difficult for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak – with rumours that if both turn red it could spark a leadership contest.

Labour’s Sadiq Khan is hoping to win a record third term as the mayor of London, running against the Conservative’s Susan Hall, with 25 seats on the London Assembly also up for grabs.

Source : https://news.sky.com/story/polls-close-in-local-elections-around-england-and-wales-what-to-expect-13127555

Boris Johnson was turned away from his local polling station when trying to vote in the local elections after forgetting to bring an acceptable form of photo identification.

Sky News understands polling station staff were forced to send the former prime minister away after he initially failed to comply with legislation he introduced while he was in Downing Street.

Mr Johnson, who introduced the Elections Act requiring photo ID in 2022, was attempting to cast his ballot in South Oxfordshire, where a police and crime commissioner for the Thames Valley was being selected.

He posted on X on Thursday morning: “The polls are now open. Vote Conservative today!”

The Elections Act has proved controversial, with fears that it would prove a deterrent to voting, particularly among disadvantaged groups.

In 2023, the Electoral Commission warned the new law, which requires people to show acceptable forms of photo ID when voting in person, could exclude hundreds of thousands of people, including those with disabilities and from minority ethnic backgrounds.

The commission found that in local elections last May, 14,000 people were not able to vote because they did not have acceptable ID.

In England, passports, driving licences, blue badges and certain local travel cards are accepted forms of voter ID.

A spokesman for Mr Johnson did not deny he had failed to bring ID, saying only: “Mr Johnson voted Conservative.”

Meanwhile, the government has also said it plans to make veterans’ ID cards a valid form of voter identification after former service personnel were turned away from polling stations.

Veterans minister Johnny Mercer apologised to those who had been unable to use their veterans’ ID card to vote in the local elections, vowing to “do all I can” to have it added to the list of valid identification.

A Number 10 spokeswoman said: “It is our intention for the new Veteran Card, which was rolled out in January, to be added to the official list.”

Source : https://news.sky.com/story/boris-johnson-turned-away-from-polling-station-after-forgetting-id-13127865

The far side of the moon is an increasingly popular destination in space. As China is set to launch Chang’e-6 to collect the area’s first-ever samples, here’s what you need to know about its race with NASA.

China’s Chang’e-6 robotic spacecraft is due to blast off today, hoping to become the first mission to collect rock and soil samples from the far side of the moon.

It is the next step in a tense race between NASA and China to create bases on the moon, and from there, lift off to Mars.

Since the first Chang’e mission in 2007, named after the mythical Chinese moon goddess, Beijing has made leaps forward in its lunar exploration.

What is Chang’e 6 going to do?

The spacecraft is set to land on the northeastern side of the huge South Pole-Aitken Basin. It’s the oldest impact crater in the solar system.

There, it will collect samples to bring home to Earth so scientists can study what is on the moon’s far side for the first time. In 2019, the mission’s predecessor, Chang’e-4, became the first spacecraft to successfully land on the moon’s far side.

We only ever see one side of the moon because it takes the same amount of time to spin on its axis as it does to orbit Earth, around one month.

The side that faces away from Earth is pockmarked with lots of craters of different sizes and has a thicker, older crust, according to NASA.

Once Chang’e-6 has collected all its samples, it will attempt to lift off from the far side of the moon for the first time in history.

Chang’e-6’s mission will last for around 53 days and will collect about 2kg of material using a scoop and a drill, says NASA.

It is the first of three missions using unmanned spacecraft before China attempts to land a crew and build a base on the lunar south pole.

Four countries – the US, Russia, China and India – have landed spacecraft on the moon.

The big race to space

The far side of the moon is an increasingly popular destination. Last year, India celebrated as its Chandrayaan-3 became the first spacecraft to land on the lunar south pole.

NASA intends to make history by sending the first humans near the lunar south pole in 2026 with its Artemis mission, and eventually build a habitable base there.

China says it plans to get there in 2030, but NASA’s administrator Bill Nelson recently said he thinks they’re speeding up their plans.

“The latest date they’ve said they’re going to land is 2030 but that keeps moving up,” he told the House Committee on Appropriations in April.

“It is incumbent on us to get there first,” he said.

Source : https://news.sky.com/story/chinese-mission-set-to-blast-off-to-far-side-of-moon-what-you-need-to-know-about-nasa-and-chinas-space-race-13127521

Ms Noem, who is being vetted as the Republican candidate for vice president, has written in her upcoming book that she shot the 14-month-old dog, named Cricket, after the wirehaired pointer tried to bite her.

A potential running mate for Donald Trump in the US election has continued to defend shooting dead her family’s puppy after saying the animal was “extremely dangerous”.

South Dakota governor Kristi Noem has told Fox News the 14-month-old wirehaired pointer, who was named Cricket, was a “working dog” and “not a puppy”.

She said in the interview that the female dog had “come to us from a family who had found her way too aggressive”, adding that the animal had “massacred” a neighbour’s livestock on the day she shot it dead around 20 years ago.

The Republican governor continued: “At the time, I had small children, a lot of small kiddos that worked around our business and people, and I wanted to make sure that they were safe.”

Ms Noem, who is being vetted as the Republican candidate for vice president in this year’s US election, also said the dog was “extremely dangerous”.

The account of Ms Noem killing the wirehaired pointer was first reported by The Guardian last week after it obtained a copy of her book, named No Going Back: The Truth On What’s Wrong With Politics And How We Move America Forward, which is due for release this month.

She has since defended her behaviour multiple times.

The mother-of-three writes in her book that she had taken Cricket on a bird hunting trip with older dogs in the hopes of calming her down.

However, she claims the dog attacked a family’s chickens and then “whipped around to bite me”.

Ms Noem says she therefore led the dog to a gravel pit and shot it dead.

Political rivals have criticised Ms Noem since the story emerged as experts who work with hunting dogs said she could have trained the animal rather than killing it.

Source : https://news.sky.com/story/donald-trumps-potential-running-mate-kristi-noem-continues-to-defend-shooting-dead-extremely-dangerous-puppy-13127425

Joint bid comes as media company’s board is considering merger deal with Skydance Media

In the latest twist in Paramount Global’s M&A saga, Sony Pictures Entertainment and Apollo Global Management have made a bid to take Paramount private with an all-cash buyout offer of $26 billion.

Sony and private-equity giant Apollo submitted a letter with the non-binding offer Wednesday to Paramount Global, as first reported by the Wall Street Journal. The bid, which would include the assumption of debt and could be negotiated, would be a premium over the company’s current $22 billion enterprise value.

The tag-teamed buyout bid comes as Paramount Global board’s special committee established to consider M&A proposals is evaluating the best and final offer from Skydance Media to merge Paramount and Skydance while keeping Paramount Global public. Shari Redstone, the controlling shareholder of Paramount Global, is known to prefer consummating a deal with David Ellison’s Skydance, whose bid is backed by RedBird Capital Partners and KKR.

Popular on Variety

Reps for Paramount Global and the board’s special committee declined to comment. Reps for Apollo and Sony Entertainment didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

Shares of Paramount Global jumped 13% on news of the offer from Apollo and Sony Entertainment, closing at $13.86 per share Thursday.

It’s not clear how Paramount’s board will proceed on the Sony-Apollo proposal, having rejected previous overtures from the private-equity firm. The company has an exclusive negotiating window with Skydance that ends Friday (May 3), but discussions among the parties could extend beyond that.

If it happens, the combination of Sony Pictures with Paramount Pictures would likely result in mass layoffs — and knock the number of major Hollywood studios from five to four, after Disney took over 20th Century. Sony Corp., which acquired Columbia Pictures in 1990 for $3.5 billion, is the largest studio operator in the industry that does not have a broad-scale direct-to-consumer streaming play.

Amid the deal wrangling, Bob Bakish earlier this week was removed as CEO of Paramount Global, replaced by a triumvirate of senior execs: CBS chief George Cheeks, Paramount Pictures CEO Brian Robbins and Chris McCarthy, president and CEO, Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios and Paramount Media Networks.

Word emerged last month that Sony was mulling a joint bid with Apollo for the entirety of Paramount Global. Apollo had previously offered more than $27 billion for Paramount Global (including debt) and prior to that floated an $11 billion offer for just Paramount Pictures. Both of Apollo’s prior offers were rebuffed by the Paramount Global board’s special committee.

Under the proposed bid with Apollo, Sony would be the majority owner of the combined company. Sony Corp. would merge Sony Pictures Entertainment into a joint venture with Paramount Global. Sony and Apollo would both contribute cash to finance the deal. What’s unclear is what would happen to the 28 local TV stations CBS owns; FCC rules bar foreign entities (i.e. Tokyo-based Sony) from having majority ownership control of broadcast TV stations, so Sony would need to carve out a separate U.S. ownership structure for the station group.

Source : https://variety.com/2024/biz/news/sony-apollo-paramount-global-acquisition-offer-cash-1235981220

US President Joe Biden has called Japan and India “xenophobic”, grouping them together with Russia and China as countries that “don’t want immigrants”.

His criticism of Japan comes just weeks after he called the US-Japan alliance “unbreakable” during a state visit from Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

India is also a key US partner, despite US concerns about human rights and religious freedoms there.

The White House says that Mr Biden meant no offence to either country.

Speaking to a predominantly Asian-American audience at a campaign fundraising event on Wednesday evening, Mr Biden said that the US election this November was about “freedom, America and democracy”.

“Why? Because we welcome immigrants,” he added. “Think about it. Why is China stalling so badly economically? Why is Japan having trouble. Why is Russia? Why is India? Because they’re xenophobic. They don’t want immigrants.”

The BBC contacted the US embassies of Japan, India, China and Russia for comment, but did not receive an immediate reply.

The comments, however, have drawn criticism from US commentators.

On X, formerly Twitter, Elbridge Colby, a former US deputy assistant secretary of defence in the Trump administration, wrote that Japan and India “are two of our very stoutest and important allies”.

“We should speak to them with respect, which they command and deserve,” he added. “Applying parochial progressive views to our allies is patronising and foolish.”

Although Japan, India and China have relatively few foreign-born workers, Russia is heavily reliant on migrant labour, much of it drawn from Central Asia.

While economic growth has been sluggish in Japan and China, Russia’s militarised economy rebounded slightly last year as its war with Ukraine continues, despite international sanctions.

India, meanwhile, has experienced steady growth and surpassed the UK in 2023 to become the world’s fifth-largest economy.

The White House denied that Mr Biden’s comments were meant in a derogatory sense, with national security spokesman John Kirby saying he was making a wider point on US immigration policy.

“Our allies and partners know well in tangible ways how President Biden values them, their friendship, their co-operation” Mr Kirby said. “They understand how much he completely and utterly values the idea of alliances and partnerships.”

Sadanand Dhume, a South Asia expert at the Washington DC-based American Enterprise Institute, told the BBC that Mr Biden’s comments would probably be received poorly in India as it experiences a “nationalist upsurge”.

“It will confirm the idea among a section of Indians that Mr Biden is not friendly to India,” he said. “They will not take kindly to having been clubbed along with authoritarian countries like China.”

In late April, a US Department of State report found “significant” human rights abuses in India, which its government said “is deeply biased and reflects a very poor understanding of India.”

In the longer term, however, Mr Dhume said that remarks are a “tempest in a teacup” and “unlikely to significantly affect US-Indian relations.”

While Japan has for decades had some of the world’s most restrictive immigration policies, it has recently sought to address a steadily shrinking population by facilitating the entry of foreign workers.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-68947042

Scientists say the male Sumatran orangutan – named Rakus – selectively ripped off leaves and chewed on them, before applying the resulting mixture precisely on to an injured area below his right eye.

An orangutan has been observed using a plant with healing properties to treat a wound on its face, in what scientists say is a first for wild animals.

Biologists witnessed the male Sumatran orangutan – named Rakus – chewing the leaves of a climbing plant known as Akar Kuning.

He applied the juicy mixture that was produced on to a wound on his right cheek for more than 30 minutes, until the injury was completely covered.

Scientists said he selectively ripped off leaves and chewed on them, before applying the resulting mixture precisely on to the injured area, just below his right eye.

There was no sign of infection in the following days, and in less than five days the wound was closed before healing completely inside a month, the researchers added.

The Akar Kuning plant, which is found in tropical forests of South East Asia, is known for its pain relieving and anti-inflammatory effects and is often used in traditional medicine to treat diseases such as dysentery, diabetes and malaria.

Rakus was not observed putting it anywhere else, so researchers concluded he was probably using the medicinal plant to treat the wound.

Dr Isabelle Laumer, a primatologist and cognitive biologist at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behaviour, said Rakus had sustained the wound three days earlier, probably during a fight with a neighbouring male.

She said testing of the plant’s chemical compounds showed it had a type of alkaloid, which contains “antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, antioxidant, and other biological activities of relevance to wound healing”.

Rakus was also observed resting more than usual after being wounded.

Dr Laumer said: “Sleep positively affects wound healing as growth hormone release, protein synthesis and cell division are increased during sleep.”

What was less clear to the team was how the ape came to know of Akar Kuning’s healing properties.

Dr Laumer said orangutans at the Suaq Balimbing research site in Indonesia “rarely eat the plant… [but] individuals may accidentally touch their wounds while feeding on this plant and thus unintentionally apply the plant’s juice to their wounds.”

In other words, Rakus may have discovered its benefits by accident.

Source : https://news.sky.com/story/orangutan-seen-using-medicinal-plant-to-treat-wound-in-first-for-wild-animals-13127804

A federal judge in Los Angeles on Thursday sentenced a scuba dive boat captain to four years in prison and three years supervised release for criminal negligence after 34 people died in a fire aboard the vessel.

The Sept. 2, 2019, blaze was the deadliest maritime disaster in recent U.S. history, and prompted changes to maritime regulations, congressional reform and several ongoing lawsuits.

Captain Jerry Boylan was found guilty of one count of misconduct or neglect of ship officer last year. The charge is a pre-Civil War statute colloquially known as seaman’s manslaughter. It was designed to hold steamboat captains and crew responsible for maritime disasters.

Family members pleaded with U.S. District Judge George Wu to give Boylan the maximum 10-year sentence in an impassioned hearing. Many cried, and Robert Kurtz, father of the sole deckhand killed, Alexandra Kurtz, brought a small container with him up to the lectern to address Boylan and the court.

“This is all I have of my daughter,” he said.

Yadira Alvarez is the mother of 16-year-old Berenice Felipe, who volunteered at an animal shelter and dreamed of becoming a marine biologist, and was the youngest of the 34 victims killed on the boat.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/boat-fire-california-captain-boylan-sentencing-79f032df2cc6ae1140eb8ca6bc87e837

Yeomni Park, who defected from North Korea to China at the age of 13 in 2007, claimed that she was scouted twice to be part of the squad, but wasn’t ultimately selected because of her ‘family status.’ She alleged that members of the ‘pleasure squad’ are selected meticulously by visiting each school in North Korea and looking for ‘pretty girls.’

A defector from North Korea has claimed that the country’s supreme leader Kim Jong Un selects ’25 virgin girls every year to be a part of his ‘pleasure squad.’ Yeonmi Park, YouTuber, author and American conservative activist, told The Daily Star that each woman in the squad is picked based on their looks and political inclination.

Park , who defected from North Korea to China at the age of 13 in 2007, claimed that she was scouted twice to be part of the squad, but wasn’t ultimately selected because of her ‘family status.’ She said that the practice was started by Kim Jong Un’s father, Korea’s previous supreme leader Kim Jong II, sometime in the 1970s.

She alleged that members of the ‘pleasure squad’ are selected meticulously by visiting each school in North Korea and looking for ‘pretty girls.’ After the first round of selection, which involves a family background check, the selected girls are sent for a medical examination to check if they are virgin.

“Once they find some pretty girls, the first thing they do is check into their family status – their political status. They eliminate any girls with family members that have escaped from North Korea, or have relatives in South Korea or other countries,” Park said.

Within the squad, there exist three distinct divisions, Park said. One is adept in the art of massage, while another specialises in singing and dancing. This latter group occasionally graces the public eye as the Moranbong band. The third division, she said, is designated as the ‘sexual activities division.’

“Their duties entail intimate engagements with the dictator and other men. They are trained extensively in the art of pleasing these individuals – this is their sole objective,” Park explained.

Source : https://www.timesnownews.com/world/kim-jong-un-allegedly-picks-25-virgin-girls-annually-for-his-pleasure-squad-disturbing-details-surface-article-109794599

A 45-year-old That politician named Prapaporn Choeiwadkoh found herself in deep soup after her husband caught her red handed, having an affair with their 24-year0old adopted son – who is reportedly also a monk.

Husband catches 45-year-old politician having an affair

According to a report by the South China Morning Post (SCMP), 45-year-old Choeiwadkoh was found by her husband Ti, in a compromising situation with 24-year-old Phra Maha. Reports have said that Ti drove for five hours and then found her having an affair with their adopted son.

This happened Ti got suspicious of the duo’s possible affair. Last year, the couple had adopted Phra Maha from a temple out of ‘compassion’. According to media reports, Ti even recorded a video of the two and it quickly went viral on social media.

The news spread like wildfire on social media, with several people saying that this incident looks to them as the script of a fictional show and they find it hard to believe that something like this could happen in real life.

Source : https://www.news9live.com/viral-news/husband-catches-thai-politician-having-an-affair-with-their-24-yr-old-son-whos-a-monk-2520681

A 6-year-old boy was forced by his father to run on a treadmill because he was “too fat,” a video played inside Superior Court in New Jersey’s Ocean City suggested. Despite falling multiple times the father of the kid seen in the footage kept on pushing the former to run. The young child could not survive and later died due to blunt force injuries with cardiac and liver contusions with acute inflammation. Corey Micciolo’s case was heard today.

Christopher Gregor, father of Micciolo, is facing a trial for allegedly killing his son. The alleged child abuse took place at the Atlantic Heights Clubhouse fitness center in March 2021. The young boy died days after the incident, where despite injuries he was forced to run on a treadmill, as per the footage obtained by CourtTV.com.

See more

NEW: Mother breaks down in court as she watches her son’s father abuse her child by making him run on the treadmill because he was “too fat.”

New Jersey father Christopher Gregor is accused of killing his 6-year-old son Corey Micciolo.

New footage shows the boy repeatedly face… pic.twitter.com/aVKknkOGd5

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) May 1, 2024

The disturbing video showed Gregor biting Corey’s head after the latter fell off multiple times due to the exercise machine’s excessive speed. Knowing that the child was unable to run, footage captured Gregor walking up to the treadmill to increase the speed time and again.

At one point when the little boy’s legs gave up, Gregor lifted him and made him stand on the treadmill. Corey’s knees folded back and the youngster gets back on before he stumbles off again. The struggle to stay on the machine leads to finally forcing the father to lower the inclination and speed. Now, the 31-year-old is facing charges such as first-degree murder and endangering the welfare of a child.

The first witness to testify was the boy’s mother, Bre Micciolo, who broke down in tears as she saw the horrifying footage. Bre Micciolo, according to the US Sun outlet, reported her son’s injuries to the New Jersey Division of Child Protection and Permanency a few days before his death.

Source : https://www.timesnownews.com/world/us/us-news/christopher-gregors-murder-trial-video-of-6-yr-old-son-corey-micciolo-to-run-on-treadmill-played-in-new-jersey-court-article-109763006

Australia’s prime minister on Wednesday (May 1) declared violence against women a “scourge” and a “national crisis”, after protests in several major cities.

Meeting state premiers, Anthony Albanese announced a raft of measures and funding to tackle “toxic male extremist views”, curb deepfake pornography and fund help for victims.

Albanese told Australians that “we all have to take responsibility” for stamping out violence.

So far this year, 28 women have been killed in the country – an average of one death every four days.

By comparison, 14 women died in the same period last year.

The deaths have sparked a reckoning, with domestic violence survivors and support services demanding stricter laws at nationwide protests last week.

Albanese on Wednesday announced new legislation to ban deep fake pornography and additional funding for the country’s online watchdog to pilot age assurance technologies.

He also announced A$925 million (US$598 million) in funding to bolster support services for those fleeing violent situations.

Domestic violence services said the announcement was a step in the right direction.

“WE NEED TO LEARN”

Our Watch chief executive officer Patty Kinnersly told AFP every death reflected a woman who had been “robbed” of her future.

She welcomed the focus on online content, given the increasing role of technology in perpetuating gender violence.

“This issue must remain a priority, so that all Australian women and their children can not only live free from violence, but thrive,” she said.

No to Violence chief executive Phillip Ripper added more needed to be done to understand what drives men to be violent.

“We must keep bringing that to the centre of the conversation,” he told AFP.

“There’s a lot that needs to be done to understand, who are the men who use violence? What leads them to use violence? And most importantly, what are the pathways out of using violence – we have so much we need to learn.”

TOO MANY DEATHS

Among the deaths that have rocked the country is that of Molly Ticehurst, a 28-year-old mother who was allegedly murdered last month by her former partner after he was given bail for other serious alleged offences.

These included the alleged rape, stalking and intimidation and destruction of Ticehurst’s property.

New data from the Australian government shows that between 2022 and 2023, there were 34 women killed by a former or current partner, a 28 per cent increase from the previous year.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/australian-pm-says-violence-against-women-national-crisis-4305271

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken hiked up pressure on Hamas on Wednesday to accept the latest proposal for a cease-fire with Israel, saying the “time is now” for an agreement that would free hostages and pause the nearly seven months of war in Gaza.

But a key sticking point appeared to remain — whether the deal would completely end Israel’s offensive as Hamas has demanded.

Blinken met with Israeli leaders throughout the day on the last stop of his seventh visit to the region since the war erupted in October, trying to push through what has been an elusive deal between Israel and Hamas. The U.S. and fellow mediators Egypt and Qatar hope to avert an Israeli offensive into the southern Gaza town of Rafah, where some 1.4 million Palestinians are sheltering.

Throughout months of talks, Hamas has said the freeing of all the hostages it holds must bring a permanent halt to the war and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.

The proposed deal now at the center of talks raises that possibility, according to leaked details that were confirmed by an Egyptian official and a Hamas official. But Hamas is seeking to strengthen the language to ensure a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from the entire Gaza Strip, the Egyptian official said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the internal negotiations. The group said it is likely to give its response to the proposal on Thursday.

In public, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has staunchly rejected stopping the war before Hamas is destroyed. In a sign of the challenges in the negotiations, Netanyahu in his talks with Blinken on Wednesday repeated his vow to launch the offensive on Rafah, which he says is Hamas’ last stronghold in Gaza.

Blinken said Israel has made “very important” compromises in cease-fire efforts and it is now up to Hamas to get the deal done.

“There’s no time for further haggling. The deal is there,” Blinken said, shortly before he was to leave Israel.

Earlier in the day, he said in talks with Israel’s ceremonial President Isaac Herzog in Tel Aviv that Hamas would bear the blame for any failure to get a deal. “No delays, no excuses. The time is now,” he said.

Blinken said the deal would also allow much needed food, medicine and water to get into Gaza, where the war has sparked a humanitarian crisis, pushed northern Gaza to the brink of famine and driven around 80% of the population of 2.3 million from their homes.

Blinken said there has been “meaningful progress” in efforts to increase the flow of aid. On Wednesday, Israel reopened its Erez crossing for deliveries into northern Gaza for the first time since it was damaged in Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack.

Hanging over the cease-fire negotiations is the possibility of an Israeli attack on Rafah, where more than half of Gaza’s population has fled, cramming into vast tent camps and other shelters. On Tuesday, Netanyahu vowed to go ahead with the assault with or without a cease-fire deal.

“The operation in Rafah doesn’t depend on anything. The prime minister made this clear to Secretary Blinken,” Netanyahu’s office said after the two met Wednesday. Hard-line members of Netanyahu’s coalition, on whom he depends to keep his government in power, have railed against any deal that prevents a Rafah attack as a victory for Hamas.

The United States has staunchly supported Israel’s campaign of bombardment and ground offensives in Gaza since Hamas’ unprecedented attack on Oct. 7 into southern Israel. But the U.S. has grown increasingly critical of the staggering toll borne by Palestinian civilians and has been outspoken against a move on Rafah. American officials say they oppose a major offensive but that if Israel conducts one, it must first evacuate civilians.

In Rafah, Palestinians clung to hope that, after months of reported near-deals, this time a cease-fire would be sealed and avert an attack.

Salwa Abu Hatab, a woman who fled Khan Younis who is now in a tent camp, said she wants to go home.

“Do you think we like life in tents? We are tired and suffering,” she said. “Every day they say there is a truce and negotiations, and in the end it fails. We hope they will succeed this time.”

Twenty-four people have died after a section of a mountainside highway collapsed in China’s Guangdong province, following days of heavy rain.

Thirty others were taken to hospital after a 17.9m (58 feet) stretch of the Meilong expressway crumbled at 02:10 local time (19:10 BST) on Wednesday.

Authorities have yet to state the cause of the incident.

Images on state media showed a massive gash in the forested mountainside below the highway.

The 30 people in hospital are “not currently at risk”, state media report. The provincial government has dispatched 500 emergency response personnel to the scene.

State media initially reported that 19 people had died but local authorities later said 24 people had been killed, with the number of injured persons still at 30.

Footage that appeared to have been taken shortly after the collapse showed flames and black smoke billowing from below the highway.

A total of 20 vehicles fell into the collapsed portion of the road, authorities said.

Another video carried by state media showed a smoking pile of charred cars partially covered in mud.

Guangdong, China’s most populous province, was hit with flash floods last week that killed four people and displaced 110,000 others.

The floods also damaged dozens of houses, shut schools and caused flight cancellations and delays. Authorities have estimated economic losses of 140.6m yuan ($19.4m; £15.5m).

The wild weather continued over the weekend, when a tornado ravaged a factory district in the provincial capital of Guangzhou, killing five people and wounding 33 others.

Hailstones the size of golf balls were also seen raining down on the city.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8vzydm3vq8o

We could see the larger Chinese ship moving closer, both our ships going at high speed. The Chinese crew were close enough for us to see their faces. Two of them filmed us, as we filmed them.

The BBC was onboard the Philippines coast guard vessel BRP Bagacay when it was accosted by Chinese vessels on Tuesday.

Filipino crews raced to hang yellow foam barriers over the side, preparing for a collision. Suddenly the Chinese ship made a sharp turn across our bow, forcing the Filipino captain to slow down abruptly. The two vessels were less than five metres apart.

We were racing towards Scarborough Shoal, a tiny coral atoll 220km (137 miles) west of the Philippines coast, but also claimed by China.

The Chinese ships were determined to stop us, and there were a lot of them – at one point of time there were 10 of them from the coast guard and maritime militia.

The Filipino captain relied on the speed and manoeuvrability of his Japanese-made ship to outrun the Chinese, and got to within 600m of the shoal, the closest yet, he told us.

But there was a new barrier installed recently by the Chinese, just visible under the water. Their ships were right behind us, two positioning themselves on either side of the Filipino ship, at which point they began firing their powerful water cannon.

We were rushed inside, from where we could hear the jets of water thundering against the metal walls of the ship. They smashed the awning in the stern, and mangled a railing on one side.

The second ship in our convoy, carrying supplies for Filipino fishermen, was more badly damaged, after taking 10 direct hits from the water cannon.

This game of maritime cat-and-mouse is nothing new in the South China Sea. But these encounters have become more frequent, and more serious, since President Bongbong Marcos authorised the coastguard to challenge the Chinese presence in disputed areas far more robustly than in the past.

“The Chinese government has always said there is a red line”, said Commodore Jay Tarriela, the coast guard spokesman for the West Philippines Sea, the Filipino name for the areas it claims.

“They said we could not cross the 12 nautical mile limit from the shoal. But under this administration we have already broken that red line, to show that China is not respecting international law.”

The mission we were on is a part of that stronger response.

Officially its goal was to supply food and fuel to the Filipino fishermen who have worked on Scarborough Shoal for decades, but who have complained of constant harassment since the Chinese coast guard took control of it in 2012.

It was also to demonstrate the determination of the Philippines to press its claim to the shoal, which lies within the country’s legally-recognised exclusive economic zone, and is much closer to the Philippines than to China.

An international court ruling in 2016 said major elements of China’s claims in the South China Sea, such as its nine-dash line along with a number of activities in Philippine waters, were unlawful. China says it does not recognise the ruling.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c51n21zr941o

Riot police in Georgia fired tear gas and water cannon into crowds protesting against a bill seen by the opposition as targeting media freedoms.

Thousands waving Georgian and European Union flags gathered outside parliament for a second night to protest what they see as a Russian-inspired law.

MPs approved the second reading of the controversial “foreign agent” bill on Wednesday.

The EU warns it could harm Tbilisi’s ambitions of joining the bloc.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday she was following events in Georgia with “great concern”.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, she added: “The Georgian people want a European future for their country. Georgia is at a crossroads. It should stay the course on the road to Europe.”

The bill cleared its second reading with a vote of 83 to 23. If it becomes law, organisations would be required to state whether they were funded from abroad.

Georgia’s governing party wants it enacted by the end of the month, but critics say it is authoritarian.

The country has been rocked by weeks of protests over the issue. On Tuesday night, there were similar clashes between police and protesters on Rustaveli Avenue, outside parliament.

Several people were injured, including Levan Khabeishvili, chairman of the main opposition party United National Movement (UNM). He posted a picture of his bruised face on social media and later appeared in parliament, his face heavily bandaged.

Eyewitnesses accused some police officers of physically attacking protesters and EU foreign police chief Josep Borrell said he strongly condemned violence against Georgians “who were peacefully demonstrating against the law on foreign influence”.

Deputy interior minister Aleksandre Darakhvelidze said six officers were hurt and 63 people arrested and he complained that “the rally turned completely violent”. He said Mr Khabeishvili had been hurt while trying to break through a police cordon, although his party said he had been beaten by police.

Georgia was granted EU candidate status last December and polls suggest about 80% of the population is in favour of joining.

Protests against the bill began in mid-April, after the ruling Georgian Dream party proposed measures requiring non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and independent media to register as organisations “bearing the interests of a foreign power”, if they receive more than 20% of their funding from foreign donors.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-68933064

One of Dubai’s popular beaches could be transformed into a mangrove forest

DUBAI sets its sight on the world record yet again with plans to build the world’s biggest beach complete with high-tech bio domes.

The Middle-Eastern supercity is already home to numerous architectural marvels from the tallest building to the biggest mall.

Dubai holds over 425 Guinness world records – more than any other city in the Middle East.

But this latest project could become the next wonder as a 45-mile shoreline is set to be transformed into a mangrove paradise.

The project developer, URB, has unveiled plans to plant 100million mangroves on the coast of the Persian Gulf.

The ambitious proposal features futuristic glass domes which will house a visitor hub, botanic museum and conservation centre.

Inside the bio domes, visitors could inspect various plants while learning more about mangroves and the flora of the area.

Tourists can also take a leisurely stroll along the coastline while enjoying the surrounding nature and breathtaking views of the ocean.

For fitness fanatics, there will be running and cycling tracks along with beach sports facilities.

The infrastructures will also include social spaces and areas dedicated to biosaline agriculture – a farming method using salty water.

Apart from recreational benefits, the project is aimed at boosting educational tourism and local ecosystem while blending the nature with leisure.

CEO of URB, Baharash Bagherian, explained: “Dubai Mangroves is a testament of how urban and environmental innovation can work in harmony as a model for cities worldwide, demonstrating the transformative power of integrating ecological preservation with urban growth.

“Yet this project is much more than coastal regeneration or resilience. It’s about setting a global standard for how cities can balance the needs of the planet with the needs of the people.”

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/11241149/dubai-worlds-biggest-beach-project

Bill Rigdon can build you a closet that locks from the inside and has electrified door handles. He can install a device in your walls that will shoot colored pepper spray to temporarily blind intruders and stain their clothes for easy identification should they try to run. He can fortify your walk-in pantry with ballistics-grade composite to withstand nuclear fallout. He will also remind you that you will need a place to pee while riding out the end times. “I once had a Fox News reporter who had a whole plan for a basement bunker where 13, 14 people could stay for a period of time,” Rigdon, who also consulted on David Fincher’s 2002 movie Panic Room, tells me. “But there was no bathroom.” Rigdon would neither confirm nor deny the client was Roger Ailes.

Rigdon, a jovial Angeleno who also trades in yachts, armored vehicles, and art, is one of the longest-running figures in the panic-room industry, having started out 40 years ago building bunkers for Mormons in Nevada. But Rigdon’s business, like so many others in this niche market, has been booming out east in the last year or so, as New York’s wealthiest residents clamor to protect themselves in a city they see as increasingly doomed. “I’ve never been busier,” Rigdon says.

David Vranicar, who owns Fortified Ballistic Security in Florida, agrees that there’s a bit of a boom in the city right now. “People are not feeling safe the way they used to,” he tells me. “New York has gotten really busy for us lately.” Another panic-room outfitter, Steve Humble of Creative Home Engineering, saw his first bump in business here around the anti-police-violence protests that erupted in the summer of 2020. “That wave has kind of died down but it was replaced in large part by the persistent uptick in violent crime in large cities like New York.” (Violent crimes actually fell in the city last year, though assaults remain high.) New Yorkers with the means to do it are “locking down,” he says, from reinforcing a single front door in their West Village townhouses to tricking out secret cellars in their Upper East Side mansions.

The safe room has always had a certain presence in New York. In addition to roaming celebrities and billionaires, there are government officials and embassies who require these James Bond–style features in their palatial homes. (Rigdon says he signs NDAs for all his clients but was able to disclose that they include a “famous piano player from England who wears funny glasses” and “a TV host who’s very famous with a friend named Gayle,” and he once got a call from Jeffrey Epstein’s brother.) The Henry Block House, a Beaux-Arts brownstone on East 76th Street that was once owned by Grace Kelly, has a secret cellar and separate safe room. Another Beaux-Arts mansion at 854 Fifth Avenue has bulletproof windows and “a metal-padded safe room with a Faraday cage to fend off electromagnetic fields,” according to the Robb Report, because it was once home to the president of Yugoslavia. Gwyneth Paltrow was said to have had a safe room in her former West Village Greek Revival townhouse, although a spokesman later said she just “stored her clothes in it.” Now the market has expanded from the notoriously rich to the more mundane ranks of the merely ultrawealthy, Fortune 500 CEOs and the like who are non-famous but just as worried about roving home invaders, thieves, and kidnappers.

Vranicar tells me he recently outfitted an apartment in 1 Central Park West. The condo in question is on a high floor and has been reinforced with steel and ballistic doors, with facial-recognition technology that unlocks them with just a glance. (The owner can also enroll their household staff so that, at least during certain hours, their faces unlock the doors too.) Do Vranicar’s clients really believe that an angry hoard could overtake the 24-hour doorman? “Absolutely,” he says. “I hate to sound paranoid, but I don’t trust the bodyguards. I don’t trust security. I don’t trust anybody.”

I asked the appraiser Jonathan Miller, who has his eyes on homebuyer and rental data across all five boroughs, whether security measures like panic rooms are truly on the rise. “We’ve seen it in gut renovations over the last three to four years,” Miller said. “It’s like adding a jacuzzi.” Still, he sees it as a fad, and one confined to the very high end of homeowners. The idea that townhouses are not as in demand because of security concerns in New York, as the New York Post recently claimed, is “totally false,” he told me, saying that the share of the market remains consistent at around 2 percent. One luxury agent, Maria Avellaneda at Compass, who sold a bulletproof glass townhouse on the Upper East Side in 2020, said she has, however, observed more townhouse owners fortifying their doors and co-ops adding more security personnel.

Source : https://www.curbed.com/article/new-york-panic-room-boom-security.html

Mohammad Moazzeni, head of Shiraz University in Fars, made the offer to students demonstrating against Israel’s actions in its war against Hamas in Gaza, Iranian state-owned outlet Press TV reports.

One of Iran’s most prestigious universities is offering scholarships to US students who have been expelled for taking part in pro-Palestinian protests.

Mohammad Moazzeni, head of Shiraz University in Fars, made the offer to students demonstrating against Israel’s actions in its war against Hamas in Gaza, Iranian state-owned outlet Press TV reports.

“Students and even professors who have been expelled or threatened with expulsion can continue their studies at Shiraz University and I think that other universities in Shiraz as well as Fars Province are also prepared [to provide the conditions],” he said, according to the outlet.

US students have been facing arrest or dismissal from their colleges over their actions in support of a ceasefire in Gaza, with many students also calling for their universities to divestment from companies that are supporting Israel.

The Iranian regime backs Hamas against Israel, which has killed at least 34,000 people in its bombardment of the Gaza Strip. Israel launched continuous strikes and a ground invasion of the enclave as it vowed to destroy Hamas for its October 7 attacks which left at least 1,200 people dead, with some 250 taken hostage.

Moazzeni added that he was “announcing Shiraz University’s decision to offer scholarships to students expelled from European and American universities.”

Shiraz University has been approached for comment.

Dueling groups of protesters clashed Wednesday at the University of California, Los Angeles, grappling in fistfights and shoving, kicking and using sticks to beat one another. Hours earlier, police burst into a building at Columbia University that pro-Palestinian protesters took over and broke up a demonstration that had paralyzed the school while inspiring others.

After a couple of hours of scuffles between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli demonstrators at UCLA, police wearing helmets and face shields formed lines and slowly separated the groups. That quelled the violence, and the scene was calm as day broke.

Source : https://www.the-express.com/news/us-news/136135/iran-university-scholarship-students-expelled-gaza-war-protests

The shamed movie mogul, who entered the courtroom in a wheelchair, could face a fresh trial as early as September following last week’s decision that improper rulings by a judge meant he did not receive a fair trial before being convicted of rape in 2020.

US prosecutors plan to retry Harvey Weinstein after his 2020 conviction for rape was overturned in New York.

The disgraced movie mogul, who has been in jail for four years, appeared in a Manhattan court on Wednesday for the first time since that conviction was overturned by an appeals court last week.

A retrial could happen as soon as September.

“We believe in this case and will be retrying this case,” prosecutor Nicole Blumberg said.

In April, the state’s highest court ruled that Weinstein did not receive a fair trial – finding the hearing was prejudiced by “egregious” improper rulings by the judge, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that were not part of the case.

Just days after the landmark #MeToo ruling was overturned, he was taken to hospital, with his lawyer Arthur Aidala describing him as “somewhat of a train wreck health-wise” but still “sharp as a tack” mentally.

Weinstein, 72, has had cardiac issues, diabetes, sleep apnoea and eye problems for some time, and was “in constant pain”, Mr Aidala said.

He entered court in a wheelchair pushed by a court officer for the preliminary hearing on Wednesday.

Weinstein had been serving a 23-year sentence after being convicted of sexually assaulting former Project Runway production assistant Mimi Haley in 2006 and raping former aspiring actress Jessica Mann in 2013 following the landmark 2020 trial in New York.

He remains behind bars as he was also convicted in Los Angeles in 2022 of another rape. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison for that crime, and is also appealing against this conviction.

Ms Blumberg told the judge that Ms Mann, who was in court, is prepared to testify again and has said she wants everyone to know that the defendant “may have power” but “she has the truth”.

Ms Haley’s lawyer, Gloria Allred, told reporters that her client has not decided whether she will give evidence a second time, as she found the experience traumatising and painful. She was not in court, Ms Allred said.

Once considered the most powerful man in Hollywood, the first allegations against Weinstein emerged in 2017.

Dozens of women came forward claiming he bullied, pressured, coerced, or overpowered them while demanding sexual favours.

Source : https://news.sky.com/story/harvey-weinstein-prosecutors-seek-retrial-after-rape-conviction-overturned-13126735

Mounting tensions on U.S. campuses boiled over on Wednesday when pro-Israel supporters attacked an encampment of pro-Palestinian protesters at UCLA, hours after police arrested activists who occupied a building at Columbia University and cleared a tent city from its campus.

Eyewitness videos from the University of California at Los Angeles, verified by Reuters, showed people wielding sticks or poles to hammer on wooden boards being used as makeshift barricades to protect the pro-Palestinian protesters before police were called to the campus.

The university canceled classes for the day on Wednesday, and UCLA Chancellor Gene Block said the school would conduct an investigation “that may lead to arrests, expulsions and dismissals.”

In a statement, Block said the “appalling” assault on pro-Palestinian demonstrators, which came hours after their encampment was declared an unlawful assembly by UCLA, was committed “by a group of instigators.”

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who returned to the city early from a trip to Washington, and California Governor Gavin Newsom each issued separate statements condemning the overnight violence and calling for an investigation.

Neither the Los Angeles Police Department nor the university answered queries from Reuters asking whether any arrests were made at the confrontation, which began around 11 p.m. local time and went on for two or three hours.

In New York City, scores of police officers in helmets and tactical gear arrested pro-Palestinian demonstrators occupying Hamilton Hall, an academic building at Columbia University.

Undergraduate students watching the extraordinary scene, many jeering at the police, fled into nearby buildings as police also cleared out a nearby protest encampment that had inspired similar protests at campuses across the country and abroad.

Police arrested about 300 people at Columbia and City College of New York, Mayor Eric Adams said. Many of those arrested were charged with trespassing and criminal mischief.

The clashes at UCLA and in New York were part of the biggest outpouring of U.S. student activism since the anti-racism rallies and marches of 2020.

The protests follow the Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel by Hamas militants from the Gaza Strip and the ensuing Israeli offensive on the Palestinian enclave.

Students have rallied or set up tent encampments at dozens of schools across the U.S. in recent days, expressing opposition to Israel’s war in Gaza and demanding schools divest from companies that support Israel’s government. Many of the schools have called in police to quell the protests.

With the presidential election coming in November, Republican lawmakers have accused some university administrators of ignoring antisemitic rhetoric and harassment, and some have demanded Columbia’s President Minouche Shafik resign.

Many protesters, some of whom are Jewish, reject allegations of antisemitism. Shafik has said the protests brought rancor to life at Columbia and created a “threatening environment” for many Jewish students and faculty, while also blaming some episodes of harassment and hostile rhetoric on outsiders drawn to the busy Manhattan streets surrounding the campus.

U.S. President Joe Biden, who has angered many protesters by funding and arming Israel, plans to give a speech on antisemitism next week at a Holocaust memorial event.

“Americans have the right to peacefully protest,” Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House spokesperson, told reporters. “Forcibly taking over a building is not peaceful.”

Republican U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump praised the police raid Columbia’s campus, saying it “was a beautiful thing to watch.” He called the ousted protesters “raging lunatics and Hamas sympathizers.”

UCLA PROTESTERS REPORT VIOLENT ATTACKS

Before the clashes in Los Angeles, UCLA officials declared that an encampment on its campus was unlawful, violated university policy and included people unaffiliated with the campus.

Afterwards, counter-demonstrators – many of them masked and some apparently older than most students – can be seen in videos throwing objects and trying to smash or pull down the wooden and steel barriers erected to shield the encampment.

Some screamed pro-Jewish comments as pro-Palestinian protesters tried to fight them off.

“I just didn’t think they would ever get to this,” said Kaia Shah, a pro-Palestinian protester and researcher at UCLA, “where our protest is met by counter-protesters who are violently hurting us, inflicting pain on us, when we are not doing anything to them.”

Demonstrators on both sides used pepper spray, and fights broke out. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators said the counter-protesters threw fireworks at them and beat them with bats and sticks.

Benjamin Kersten, a UCLA graduate student and member of the pro-Palestinian group Jewish Voice for Peace, called it “a devastating night of violence.”

“The encampment would be a peaceful effort were it not for the continuous presence of counter-protesters and agitators,” he wrote in a text message.

Police said UCLA had called them to restore order and maintain public safety within the encampment. Video later showed police clearing a central quad beside the encampment and erecting a metal crowd-control barrier in front of it.

The atmosphere was calmer on Wednesday. Hundreds of police officers were on campus and lining its perimeter. It was unclear how many arrests were made or the number of people injured.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/us/police-move-quell-clashes-los-angeles-pro-palestinian-campus-protest-2024-05-01

After a previously aborted attempt in 2013, Milan’s council made another attempt to ban ice cream and pizza after midnight from the streets of the city earlier this month.

Milan has once again backed down on attempts to ban ice cream from its streets after midnight.

Following widespread criticism, the city’s council has U-turned on its plans that would have cracked down on late night snacking on its streets.

The council claimed the proposed ban was to protect the “tranquility” of residents, but for many a late-night gelato is a part of Italian culture.

Earlier this month, Milan’s local government filed a legislative starting paper which would have banned the serving of ice cream and pizzas outdoors in the northern Italian city late at night, starting from 17 May.

However, following a widespread backlash, security councillor Marco Granelli has said the local government has backed down.

He said the new law will instead focus on drinks, especially alcohol, and ice cream and takeaway foods will not be banned.

“We can say right now that ice cream is not the item we are interested in and will be excluded from the bans,” he said.

“About other food, we are testing different technical options.”

The local government will “collect observations” on the matter until 10 May, Mr Granelli added.

The proposed ban would have covered 12 districts, kicking in from 12.30am on weekdays, and 1.30am on weekends and public holidays, applying to outdoor tables only.

Mr Granelli previously said: “The goal is to seek a balance between socialising and entertainment, and the peace and tranquility of residents.”

Source: https://news.sky.com/story/milan-backs-down-on-plans-to-ban-ice-cream-after-midnight-following-widespread-criticism-13126338

New York City police raided Columbia University late on Tuesday to arrest dozens of pro-Palestinian demonstrators, some of whom had seized an academic building, and to remove a protest encampment the Ivy League school had sought to dismantle for nearly two weeks.
Shortly after police moved in, Columbia University President Minouche Shafik released a letter in which she requested police stay on campus until at least May 17 – two days after graduation – “to maintain order and ensure that encampments are not re-established.”

Within three hours the campus had been cleared of protesters, said a police spokesperson, adding “dozens” of arrests were made.
At the start of the raid around 9 p.m. ET throngs of helmeted police marched onto the elite campus in upper Manhattan, a focal point of student rallies that have spread to dozens of schools across the U.S. in recent days expressing opposition to Israel’s war in Gaza.
“We’re clearing it out,” the police officers yelled.

Soon after, a long line of officers climbed into Hamilton Hall, an academic building that protesters had broken into and occupied in the early morning hours of Tuesday. Police entered through a second-story window, using a police vehicle equipped with a ladder.
Students standing outside the hall jeered police with shouts of “Shame, shame!”
Police were seen loading dozens of detainees onto a bus, each with their hands bound behind their backs by zip-ties, the entire scene illuminated with flashing red and blue lights of police vehicles.

“Free, free, free Palestine,” chanted protesters outside the building. Others yelled “Let the students go.”
“Columbia will be proud of these students in five years,” said Sweda Polat, one of the student negotiators for Columbia University Apartheid Divest, the coalition of student groups that has organized the protests.
She said students did not pose a danger and called on police to back down, speaking as officers shouted at her and others to retreat or leave campus.
PROTEST DEMANDS
Protesters were seeking three demands from Columbia: divestment from companies supporting Israel’s government, greater transparency in university finances, and amnesty for students and faculty disciplined over the protests.
President Shafik this week said Columbia would not divest from finances in Israel. Instead, she offered to invest in health and education in Gaza and make Columbia’s direct investment holdings more transparent.

In her letter released Tuesday, Shafik said the Hamilton Hall occupiers had vandalized University property and were trespassing, and that encampment protesters were suspended for trespassing. The university earlier warned that students taking part in the Hamilton Hall occupation faced academic expulsion.
The occupation began overnight when protesters broke windows, stormed inside and unfurled a banner reading “Hind’s Hall,” saying they were renaming the building for a 6-year-old Palestinian child killed in Gaza by the Israeli military.
The eight-story, neo-classical building has been the site of various student occupations dating back to the 1960s.
At an evening news briefing held a few hours before police entered Columbia, Mayor Eric Adams and city police officials said the Hamilton Hall takeover was instigated by “outside agitators” who lack any affiliation with Columbia and are known to law enforcement for provoking lawlessness.
Police said they based their conclusions in part on escalating tactics in the occupation, including vandalism, use of barricades to block entrances and destruction of security cameras.
One of the student leaders of the protest, Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian scholar attending Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs, disputed assertions that outsiders led the occupation.
“Disruptions on campus have created a threatening environment for many of our Jewish students and faculty and a noisy distraction that interferes with the teaching, learning and preparing for final exams,” the university said in a statement on Tuesday before police moved in.
PROTESTS ACROSS COUNTRY
The Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel by Hamas militants from Gaza, and the ensuing Israeli offensive on the Palestinian enclave, have unleashed the biggest outpouring of U.S. student activism since the anti-racism protests of 2020.
Many of the demonstrations across the country have been met with counter-protesters accusing them of fomenting anti-Jewish hatred. The pro-Palestinian side, including Jews opposed to Israeli actions in Gaza, say they are being unfairly branded as antisemitic for criticizing Israel’s government and expressing support for human rights.
The issue has taken on political overtones in the run-up to the U.S. presidential election in November, with Republicans accusing some university administrators of turning a blind eye to antisemitic rhetoric and harassment.
White House spokesperson John Kirby on Tuesday called the occupation of campus buildings “the wrong approach.”

Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/pro-palestinian-protesters-occupy-building-columbia-university-cnn-2024-04-30/

The Washington Post, citing unnamed sources, has named a Research and Analysis Wing officer in connection with the alleged plot to kill Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on American soil last year.

The United States is “regularly working” with India in its investigation into the allegations related to the plot to assassinate Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a US State Department official has said.

The remarks by US State Department Principal Deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel came after The Washington Post, citing unnamed sources, named a Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) officer in connection with the alleged plot to kill Pannun on American soil last year.

India on Tuesday strongly rejected the claims, saying that the report made “unwarranted and unsubstantiated” imputations on a serious matter and that an investigation into the case was underway.

Addressing his daily news conference on Tuesday, Mr Patel said, “We continue to expect accountability from the Government of India based on the results of the Indian inquiry committee’s work, and we are regularly working with them and enquiring for additional updates.”

“We’ll also continue to raise our concerns directly with the Indian Government at senior levels, but beyond that, I’m not going to parse into this further and will defer to the Department of Justice,” Mr Patel said when asked about The Washington Post report, which identified the RAW officer as Vikram Yadav and alleged that he was involved in the plot to assassinate Pannun.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Tuesday slammed the report by the US daily.

“The report in question makes unwarranted and unsubstantiated imputations on a serious matter,” he said in New Delhi.

Mr Jaiswal said a high-level inquiry committee set up by New Delhi to look into inputs provided by the US on the alleged plot was still probing the case.

“There is an ongoing investigation of the high-level committee set up by the Government of India to look into the security concerns shared by the US government on networks of organised criminals, terrorists and others,” he said.

“Speculative and irresponsible comments on it are not helpful,” Mr Jaiswal added.

In November last year, US federal prosecutors charged Indian national Nikhil Gupta with working with an Indian government employee in the foiled plot to kill Pannun.

Pannun, wanted in India on terror charges, holds dual citizenship of the US and Canada. He has been designated as a terrorist by the Union home ministry under the anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

The allegations about the failed plot to kill Pannun came to the fore weeks after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau claimed in September last year of a “potential” involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on June 18 in British Columbia.

India had strongly rejected the charges.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/gurpatwant-singh-pannun-we-expect-accountability-from-us-on-washington-posts-claim-on-india-in-khalistani-terrorist-case-5561655

A 14-year-old boy has died after an attacker armed with a sword went on the rampage in north-east London.

Police were called to reports of a car crashing into a house and people being stabbed in Hainault at about 07:00 BST.

The boy was taken to hospital where he later died.

Four other people, including two police officers, were injured before the suspect – who had been leaping over people’s garden fences – was cornered and Tasered in a front garden.

The 36-year-old man was arrested and the Metropolitan Police said he was in hospital being treated for injuries sustained when the vehicle he was in crashed into the house.

His condition meant he had not yet been interviewed, police added.

Assistant Commissioner Louisa Rolfe said their investigations had not discovered any previous contact between the man and the police.

Footage shared on social media showed a man with a long knife in Laing Close.

Ch Supt Stuart Bell acknowledged there would be “understandably, a desire for answers and an explanation as to what happened” and officers were working to “establish the full facts”.

Ch Supt Bell said the two Met officers had suffered wounds requiring surgery.

He described the officers’ stab wounds as “significant” but not life-threatening.

The injuries of the two other members of the public were also “not believed to be life-threatening”.

Ch Supt Bell said police did not believe there was any ongoing threat to the wider public and they were not seeking any other suspects.

He added he did not believe it was terror-related and was not a “targeted” attack.

Witness James Fernando said he saw the suspect ask one of his neighbours to take his phone and “tell whoever was on the phone his location”.

The 39-year-old said the neighbour soon noticed the sword and started running.

As she fled, the woman shouted to another neighbour, a boy on his way to school, who was then struck by the attacker as he turned around, he said.

‘Took him down’

Another eyewitness, Chris Bates, who lives in Thurlow Gardens, said he saw the suspect run through the area.

“He ran through the gardens and came out on to the street by the house next door to me,” he told BBC Radio 5 Live.

“The police were there. He then ran down to two doors down, and tried to get on the sort of scaffold, and they Tasered him and took him down.”

Manpreet Singh, who also witnessed the attack, told BBC Radio 5 Live he had walked out of an office when he “heard chaos” on the other side of the road.

“I saw a group of people, five or six of them, trying to fight off a guy – he had a sword in his hand,” he said.

“There was about seven or eight police cars entering that road and, after another 10 minutes, I saw the guy running towards the station and entered the road opposite the station.

“He tried to get into one of the houses but couldn’t get into it and that’s when they Tasered him.”

Hainault London Underground station was closed during the incident and local buses were diverted.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-68927027

Covishield, developed by AstraZeneca, was produced by the Serum Institute of India and widely administered in the country.

British pharma giant AstraZeneca has admitted that its Covid vaccine can cause a rare side effect, The Telegraph (UK) has reported. Covishield can cause, in rare cases, a condition that leads to blot clots and low platelet count, the vaccine-maker has said in court documents.

Covishield, developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University during the pandemic, was produced by the Serum Institute of India and widely administered in the country.

AstraZeneca is facing a class action lawsuit in the UK over claims that its vaccine caused deaths and severe injuries in several cases. Victims in as many as 51 cases in the UK High Court are seeking damages up to 100 million pounds.

Jamie Scott, the first complainant in the case, had alleged that he had received the vaccine in April 2021 which caused him a permanent brain injury after a blood clot. This has prevented him from working and the hospital even told his wife thrice that he’s going to die, he claimed.

AstraZeneca has contested the claims, but admitted in one of the court documents in February that Covishield can “in very rare cases, cause TTS”, the report said.

TTS (Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome) causes blood clots and a low blood platelet count in humans.

It is admitted that the AZ vaccine can, in very rare cases, cause TTS. The causal mechanism is not known…Further, TTS can also occur in the absence of the AZ vaccine (or any vaccine). Causation in any individual case will be a matter for expert evidence,” AstraZeneca said.

AstraZeneca made its admission in a legal defence to Scott’s claim, which may lead to payouts to the victims and grieving relatives.

Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/in-big-u-turn-astrazeneca-admits-its-covishield-vaccine-can-cause-side-effect-5553754#pfrom=home-ndtv_topscroll

Ghulati serves as the President and CEO of Squared Watermelon Ltd, a London-based company. He is also the longest-serving Committee member and former Deputy Chairman of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry Asian Business Association.

The people of London are gearing up to elect a new mayor and 25 members for the London Assembly on May 2, with Delhi-born investment banker Tarun Ghulati contesting against incumbent Sadiq Khan, who has already served two terms. Ghulati, 63, is the only Indian-origin candidate among the 13 individuals vying for the mayor’s position.

Who is Tarun Ghulati?

Ghulati completed his education at the University of Jaipur and also holds an MBA degree from Delhi University. He has lived and worked across the Asia Pacific, the Middle East, Africa, and the UK, primarily with Citibank and HSBC, where he served as an International Manager (IM).

Ghulati serves as the President and CEO of Squared Watermelon Ltd, a London-based company. He is also the longest-serving Committee member and former Deputy Chairman of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry Asian Business Association.

Ghulati is a Strategic Advisory Committee Member of the Global Cyber Alliance with United Nations ECOSOC Special Consultative Status. His campaign pitch focuses on making London more “digitally connected,” as reported by BBC.

“People want someone different to run London, and I’m different because I’m not a politician,” Ghulati stated.

He added, “…Being a person of Indian origin, I wear that as a badge of honour. It is a matter of pride for me. I am a proud Hindu. But I believe in the concept of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam…My upbringing in India, the cultural traditions have helped me in my journey across the world…I view London as a global bank. It is a place where people come in for opportunities and growth, and different cultures thrive…As Mayor, I will build the balance sheet for London such that it is a premiere choice for investments, safeguarding safety and prosperity for all its residents…”

Source : https://www.timesnownews.com/world/uk/who-is-tarun-ghulati-delhi-born-investment-banker-contesting-london-mayor-elections-article-109702370

The US government said on Monday (Apr 29) it is collecting samples of ground beef at retail stores in states with outbreaks of bird flu in dairy cows for testing, but remains confident the meat supply is safe.

Federal officials are seeking to verify the safety of milk and meat after confirming the H5N1 virus in 34 dairy cattle herds in nine states since late March, and in one person in Texas.

Both the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization have said the overall public health risk is low, but is higher for those with exposure to infected animals.

Scientists believe outbreaks are more widespread in cows than officially reported based on findings of H5N1 particles in about 20 per cent of milk samples. The US Food and Drug Administration said on Friday that preliminary results of gold-standard PCR tests showed pasteurisation killed the bird flu virus in milk, though.

The US Department of Agriculture will analyse retail ground beef samples with PCR tests that indicate “whether any viral particles are present”, and conduct two other safety studies, according to a statement. Some dairy cows are processed into ground beef when they grow old.

“USDA’s additional testing is appropriate to ensure public health is protected and to stop the spread of animal disease,” said Sarah Little, spokesperson for the Meat Institute, an industry group representing meat processors

USDA on Monday began requiring lactating dairy cows to test negative for bird flu before being moved across state lines as officials seek to contain the virus.

The department said this weekend that testing is not required for cows that are shipped over state lines directly to slaughter facilities from barns where they are sold. Those cattle only need documentation showing they were inspected by a veterinarian.

USDA said it inspects each animal before slaughter, and all cattle carcasses must pass inspection after slaughter to enter the human food supply.

USDA is now also collecting beef muscle samples at slaughter facilities of dairy cattle that have been condemned to determine the presence of viral particles, according to the statement. Any positive PCR tests for retail or slaughter samples will be evaluated for live virus, the USDA said.

Last week, USDA said it had found bird flu in a lung tissue sample from an asymptomatic dairy cow that was sent to slaughter from an infected herd. The animal did not enter the food supply, according to the department.

In another safety study, USDA will cook ground beef containing a “virus surrogate” at different temperatures to assess how it inactivates the virus, according to the statement. It said cooking meat to a safe internal temperature kills bacteria and viruses.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/us-bird-flu-milk-dairy-ground-beef-cow-4301206

Naked and frail, a shaggy-haired man films himself as he endures solitude in a tiny room for months, and months more.

“The Contestant,” directed by Clair Titley, explores the story behind the late 1990s hit reality TV show from Japan, “A Life in Prizes,” in which a comedian nicknamed Nasubi is forced to survive on whatever he can redeem from mail-in coupons, as he is denied contact with the outside world.

The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2023 and will stream on Hulu from May 2.

Tomoaki Hamatsu — whose nickname “Nasubi,” meaning eggplant in Japanese, refers jokingly to his long chin — never manages to clothe himself and remains naked throughout the show. But he dances to celebrate the things he does obtain, especially food, even if it’s just a pot of kimchi.

Canada’s National Post, in a review of Titley’s documentary, described the TV show as “‘The Truman Show’ meets ‘OldBoy,’” referring to the 1998 American film starring Jim Carrey about a man who unwittingly stars in a reality TV show about his own life and the 2003 Cannes-winning Korean film about an imprisoned man.

The British director Titley said she chanced upon the reality show and reached out to Nasubi because she felt no one had ever told his side of the story.

“I felt that they were kind of dismissive and even derogatory to an extent about, you know, look at those crazy Japanese. And I really wanted to know Nasubi’s story. I really wanted to know what had happened to him, why he’d stayed in there,” she said in a recent Zoom interview with The Associated Press.

What makes her documentary more than a just-for-laughs, big-in-Japan satire are the interviews Titley conducts with Hamatsu’s mother, sister and friend, who express outrage, sorrow, pride and a mix of other emotions as the show grew into a prime-time hit. They said they felt sorry for what he endured, including his nudity.

The film also explores Hamatsu’s childhood experience of being bullied because of his long chin and how he turned to laughter to protect himself.

Hamatsu says the hardest part of the show was the solitude, although being without clothing — and very little food — for a year and three months also took a toll on him. The comedian was moved to tears when he received a standing ovation at a New York screening of the documentary.

“I feel I was able to relay a positive message through the documentary,” he said.

“The Contestant” raises serious questions about how far society might go for entertainment, and the big audiences and money it represents.

The show’s producer said in the documentary he just wanted to “capture the moment” and did not mention any reservations about producing the show.

“I think to an extent we are all complicit in these narratives. I think that’s something to be aware of. It’s very easy to stand back and look at all of this, and sort of think, ‘Oh, look at what those producers did.’ But, you know, as viewers we need to take some responsibility,” Titley said.

The film explores the various emotions of being trapped in different ways, including in relationships, hardships or just feelings of meaninglessness.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/japan-reality-tv-show-documentary-solitude-comedy-8da339b240290732c5b4fddadb591a05

Tesla’s shares have jumped after reports the firm has cleared an important regulatory hurdle in China by partnering with search giant Baidu.

The reports come after chief executive Elon Musk made a surprise visit to meet the country’s number two leader, Premier Li Qiang.

The deal with Baidu brings Mr Musk a step closer to rolling out Tesla’s self-driving technology in China.

Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives said it was “a watershed moment”. Tesla has been contacted for comment. Baidu declined to comment.

Mr Ives said the company faces “massive domestic electric vehicle competition in China along with softer demand”, but that its “long-term valuation story” depends on it also getting approval for fully autonomous driving.

The agreement with Baidu that is being reported would allow Tesla to go ahead with some autonomous driving technology in China.

Baidu’s mapping and navigation services would aid Tesla’s self-driving technology, including assisted parking, but full autonomous technology would still require further approval.

Tesla is one of the world’s largest electric car manufacturers, and China is its second biggest market, but it has yet to launch autonomous driving there as it has in other countries, such as the US.

Mr Musk strongly believes that autonomous driving is the future.

“If somebody doesn’t believe Tesla is going to solve autonomy, I think they should not be an investor,” he has previously said.

However, even in the US, autonomous cars face challenges and further regulatory hurdles.

Tesla’s autopilot allows drivers to hand control to the vehicle’s AI, but it still needs constant human oversight.

Despite this precaution, misuse of the technology has been fatal.

Last Friday, the US auto regulator opened a probe into the “adequacy” of a software update Tesla made to try to fix problems with its autopilot feature.

The agency said “foreseeable driver misuse of the system played an apparent role” in at least 13 Tesla crashes, including at least one death, and many more involving serious injuries.

In December, a former Tesla employee told the BBC he did not believe the technology powering the firm’s self-driving vehicles was safe enough to be used on public roads.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgxwlqej0jjo

An Iranian teenager was sexually assaulted and killed by three men working for Iran’s security forces, a leaked document understood to have been written by those forces says.

It has let us map what happened to 16-year-old Nika Shakarami who vanished from an anti-regime protest in 2022.

Her body was found nine days later. The government claimed she killed herself.

We put the report’s allegations to Iran’s government and its Revolutionary Guards. They did not respond.

Marked “Highly Confidential”, the report summarises a hearing on Nika’s case held by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) – the security force that defends the country’s Islamic establishment. It includes what it says are the names of her killers and the senior commanders who tried to hide the truth.

It contains disturbing details of events in the back of an undercover van in which security forces were restraining Nika. These include:

• One of the men molested her while he was sitting on her
• Despite being handcuffed and restrained, she fought back, kicking and swearing
• An admission that this provoked the men to beat her with batons

There are numerous fake Iranian official documents in circulation, so the BBC spent months checking every detail with multiple sources.

Our extensive investigations indicate the papers we obtained do chronicle the teenager’s last movements.

Nika Shakarami’s disappearance and death were widely reported, and her picture has become synonymous with the fight by women in Iran for greater freedoms. As street protests spread across Iran in the autumn of 2022, her name was shouted by crowds furious at the country’s strict rules on the compulsory veil [hijab].

The Woman, Life, Freedom movement had been sparked just days earlier by the death of a 22-year-old woman, Mahsa Amini. She died from injuries sustained in police custody according to a UN fact-finding mission after being accused of not wearing her hijab properly.

In Nika’s case, her family found her body in a mortuary more than a week after she disappeared from a protest. But Iran’s authorities denied Nika’s death was connected to the demonstration and, after conducting their own investigation, said that she had died by suicide.

Just before she vanished, Nika was filmed on the evening of 20 September near Laleh Park in central Tehran, standing on a dumpster setting fire to hijabs.

Others around her chanted “death to the dictator” – referring to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

What she could not have known at the time is that she was being watched, as the classified report makes clear.

Addressed to the IRGC’s commander-in-chief, it says it is based on extensive talks with its teams that policed that protest.

Monitoring the demonstration were several undercover security units, the document’s account begins.

It says one of these – Team 12 – suspected the teenager “of leadership, due to her unconventional behaviour and repeated calls with her mobile phone”.

Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-68840881

 

The microneedling procedure, which has previously been used by Kim Kardashian, aims to rejuvenate skin.

Three women have been diagnosed with HIV after getting “vampire facials” in what is believed to be the first time the virus has been contracted through a cosmetic procedure using needles.

The diagnosis of a woman in her 40s, who had the treatment at an unlicensed clinic in New Mexico, triggered an investigation into the spa.

It was found that from 2018 to 2023 the spa allegedly reused disposable equipment intended for one-time use, a report by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said.

The risk of passing on HIV from contaminated blood through unsterile injection is well known, but the CDC said this is the first documented case of infections involving cosmetic services.

Once diagnosed, the virus can cause damage to the cells in the immune system, affecting how a person fights everyday infections and disease.

There is currently no cure but very effective drug treatments.

A “vampire facial”, also known as a platelet-rich plasma microneedling procedure, involves using a client’s own blood, separating its components and using tiny needles to inject plasma into the face to rejuvenate the skin.

Reality TV star Kim Kardashian once underwent the procedure during an episode of the Keeping Up with the Kardashians spin-off, Kim and Kourtney Take Miami, in 2013.

Many other cosmetic procedures also involve needles, including Botox to rid wrinkles or plump lips or getting a tattoo.

The New Mexico spa closed in 2018 after the investigation by the state’s health department was first launched.

Its owner was prosecuted for practising medicine without a licence.

Source : https://news.sky.com/story/three-women-diagnosed-with-hiv-after-vampire-facials-at-unlicensed-clinic-in-new-mexico-13125768

The royal couple’s big day at Westminster Abbey made worldwide headlines, with royal-watchers captivated by the spectacle and pageantry.

The Prince and Princess of Wales have shared a picture to mark their 13th wedding anniversary.

The previously unseen photo was posted on X and shows the couple after their marriage in 2011.

Photographer Millie Pilkington commented: “Happy wedding anniversary! Can’t believe it’s been 13 years. Remember this moment so well. Sending you both much love in this special day.”

Kate is pictured in her dress – by Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen – while William is in his Irish Guards tunic.

The pair married at Westminster Abbey on 29 April 2011 and had their first child, Prince George, in July 2013.

It’s been a difficult start to the year for the couple, with both Kate and the King having treatment for cancer.

The Princess of Wales revealed her health condition last month after speculation about why she hadn’t been seen for a while.

She praised her husband for his support during “an incredibly tough couple of months for our entire family” and said having him “by my side is a great source of comfort and reassurance”.

The princess said her diagnosis had been a huge shock, with the couple “doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family”.

William was back on public duties after the Easter break and Prince Louis, their youngest child, turned six on Tuesday.

Princess Charlotte celebrates her ninth birthday this Thursday.

There was also controversy earlier this year after the royals released an edited photo, sparking wild conspiracy theories that prompted Kate to issue a statement.

She apologised for any confusion, saying “like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing”.

Source : https://news.sky.com/story/william-and-kate-release-previously-unseen-photo-to-celebrate-13th-wedding-anniversary-13125740 

 

The shooting took place as police attempted to carry out an arrest warrant at a home in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Three police officers have been shot and killed, and another five wounded, as they served an arrest warrant in North Carolina.

The suspect was also killed during the shooting at a home in Charlotte, according to officials.

The man’s name was not released, but police said he was wanted for illegally possessing a weapon.

According to police, a second person fired shots from inside the house following the suspect’s death.

Police who rushed to the property to rescue the first wave of officers were wounded as the second person began firing on them, according to officials.

One of the officers is in a critical condition, according to police.

A woman and a 17-year-old boy were found inside the property and arrested following the three-hour stand-off.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings said at a press conference following the shooting: “Today is an absolute tragic day for the city of Charlotte and for the profession of law enforcement.

“Today we lost some heroes who were out simply trying to keep our community safe.”

The shooting took place on Tuesday as a US Marshals-led task force attended the property to carry out an arrest warrant for a felon wanted for possessing a firearm.

As officers approached the home, the suspect opened fire with a high-powered rifle. Officers returned fire, and the suspect was killed in the front garden of the property.

A second person then opened fire, injuring four Charlotte-Mecklenburg officers as they attempted to come to the aid of their police colleagues.

Another member of the task force was also shot and injured.

Source : https://news.sky.com/story/three-police-officers-shot-dead-serving-arrest-warrant-in-north-carolina-13126016

The monarch is due to visit a cancer treatment centre to meet medical specialists and other patients, along with Queen Camilla.

King Charles will return to official public duties later for the first time since being diagnosed with cancer.

The monarch, who is the patron of Macmillan Cancer Support, will visit a cancer treatment centre to meet medical specialists and other patients, along with the Queen.

He decided to announce he had cancer at the beginning of February.

Since then, cancer charities have praised his openness and the impact it’s had on raising public awareness, along with the Princess of Wales also talking about her diagnosis.

The aim of today’s visit, where he will meet larger numbers of people for the first time, is to draw attention to the importance of early diagnosis and highlight innovative research, supported by Cancer Research UK, taking place at the hospital.

On Friday, the palace announced that the King was “greatly encouraged” to be given the green light by doctors to return to some public-facing duties.

Sources have stressed that despite the welcome news, the King still has cancer and will continue to be treated for the undisclosed form of the disease.

The Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: “His Majesty’s treatment programme will continue, but doctors are sufficiently pleased with the progress made so far that the King is now able to resume a number of public-facing duties.”

They added: “Forthcoming engagements will be adapted where necessary to minimise any risks to His Majesty’s continued recovery.”

The King has continued to carry on with his constitutional work behind the scenes and held small meetings inside the palace, including with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

At Easter, he made a point of greeting crowds who had turned out to see him attend the church service at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, which was seen as a hint that more public-facing engagements could soon follow.

Palace officials continue to plan for a busy summer and autumn of events but will work around the caveat that plans may need to change depending on the King’s health and doctors’ advice.

Source : https://news.sky.com/story/king-charles-returns-to-official-public-duties-for-first-time-since-cancer-diagnosis-13126026

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi received a phone call on Monday from U.S. President Joe Biden to discuss the latest developments in negotiations over a ceasefire in Gaza and the dangers of a military escalation in Rafah, Egypt’s presidency said.

The call also touched on the exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, a main sticking point in any comprehensive ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel, the spokesman for the Egyptian Presidency added.

Biden urged Sisi and Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, whom he spoke to separately, to exert all efforts to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas “as this is now the only obstacle to an immediate ceasefire and relief for the people of Gaza,” the White House said.

A Hamas delegation is in Cairo to deliberate on Israel’s response to a ceasefire deal.

The danger of a military escalation in Rafah was also stressed, in how it would add catastrophe to an already worsening humanitarian crisis that would impact stability and security in the region, the Egyptian presidency’s statement said.

“President Al-Sisi stressed the necessity of full and adequate access to humanitarian aid, reviewing the intensive Egyptian efforts in this regard,” it added.

“The two presidents also stressed the necessity of working to prevent expansion of the conflict and reaffirmed the importance of the two-state solution as the means to achieve security, peace, and stability in the region.”

Biden and the Qatari emir discussed developments in the situation in Gaza and efforts of the two countries to reach an immediate and permanent ceasefire agreement in Gaza, Qatar’s Emiri Diwan said.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/us-egyptian-presidents-hold-phone-call-over-gaza-ceasefire-talks-2024-04-29

Tel Aviv — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was under rising pressure Monday from all sides over his country’s ongoing war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Far-right members of Netanyahu’s own cabinet have threatened to drop their support for his coalition government if he accepts a cease-fire deal with Hamas, but the U.S. and many Israelis are pushing him to strike an agreement to bring the remaining hostages home from Gaza and wind down the devastating war in the Palestinian territory.

Those calls for a cease-fire got renewed impetus by the release over the weekend of another Hamas propaganda video showing two hostages, including Israeli-American national Keith Seigel, still alive.

The new week has brought a flurry of diplomatic activity in the region, including a visit by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in a last-ditch attempt to secure a cease-fire agreement ahead of a possible Israeli ground operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where some 1.4 million Palestinians have sought shelter in desperate conditions.

A Hamas delegation was expected to deliver the group’s response on Monday to the latest proposal for a long-sought truce and hostage release deal.

In Saudi Arabia for a meeting with Gulf region counterparts, meanwhile, Blinken said Monday that a cease-fire would be the most effective way to ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. But he stressed that civilians caught in the middle of the war can’t afford to wait for that to happen, and he urged Israel “to take the necessary steps to meet the needs of civilians.”

Blinken acknowledged “measurable progress in the last few weeks, including the opening of new [border] crossings and increased volume of aid delivery to Gaza and within Gaza, and the building of the U.S. maritime corridor, which will open in the coming weeks. But it is not enough,” he said.

He said President Biden was adamant that Israel should take more specific, concrete, measurable steps to better address humanitarian suffering, civilian harm and the safety of aid workers in Gaza — including in his most recent call with Netanyahu on Sunday.

In a statement provided after Blinken’s Monday meetings with Qatari leaders, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller made it clear that the onus, as far as the Biden administration is concerned, was on Hamas to accept the latest deal.

Blinken and Qatar’s prime minister “emphasized the need for Hamas to accept the significant proposal that is on the table,” Miller said, adding that the top American diplomat had “also underscored our shared commitment to continuing to increase and sustain the provision of life-saving humanitarian assistance into Gaza.”

According to Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry, more than 34,000 people — mostly women and children — have been killed in the enclave since the war began. It was sparked by Hamas’ unprecedented Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel, which saw the group kill some 1,200 people and take about 240 others hostage.

United Nations humanitarian agencies have also acknowledged an increase in aid flowing into Gaza, but they continue to warn that tens of thousands of people face possible famine conditions in the territory, and the uptick in aid hasn’t been enough to avert that.

The challenge for Netanyahu has been weighing the fate of about 130 remaining hostages — including five U.S. nationals still believed to be alive — and the rising pressure over the war’s impact on Palestinian civilians, against his stated mission to destroy Hamas. He’s said a Rafah incursion is the only way to meet that goal, as Hamas still has combat units hiding out in the city.

Calls from the families of the remaining captives to strike a deal have grown louder and angrier, however. They’ve led regular, massive rallies on the streets of Israel, accusing Netanyahu of failing the hostages. More than once the protests have ended in scuffles with police.

There’s pressure for a cease-fire, too, from college campuses across the U.S. — Israel’s most important ally and benefactor — and from parallel protests taking shape on European university campuses. The anti-war demonstrations have not gone unnoticed by displaced Palestinian students in Rafah, whose education came to an abrupt halt on Oct. 7.

“What gives us a glimpse of hope is that we weren’t left alone,” student Renad Anaan told CBS News at a camp for displaced people, “and that goes for efforts made by the students at universities in America.”

“I salute them, the American university students who are protesting against Netanyahu’s government and the American government. That’s kind of them and I admire them for that,” said Fida Afifi, whose university course in Gaza City was disrupted by the war. She told CBS News she was “calling on the world’s students to rise against the government.”

Israel has made a concerted effort in recent days to show it’s stepping up aid distribution in Gaza, and the IDF released video over the weekend showing the floating pier being built by the U.S. military just off envlave’s Mediterranean coast. Officials have said it will be completed in early May, creating another new route for help to reach people who desperately need it.

There’s hope that a cease-fire deal, or even progress toward one, could delay or even scuttle the plans for Netanyahu’s promised invasion of Rafah. But in the meantime, the threat of ground warfare in the crowded city continues to hang over the students and the tens of thousands of other civilians sheltering in Rafah.

Much of the rest of Gaza lies in ruin — destruction on a scale that has left entire towns and cities uninhabitable.

Source : https://www.cbsnews.com/news/israel-hamas-war-cease-fire-pressure-on-netanyahu-as-gaza-deaths-mount

Russia warned it would ‘sink the British Isles’ with its nuke arsenal

EUROPE could be gearing up to forge a bubble of nuclear protection from Russia made up of 300 French ballistic missiles.

French president Macron has suggested the submarine-launched warheads are fanned across the continent to shore up collective defence.

His offer followed a German minister urging the UK and France to forge a “nuclear shield” to deter Russia.

Leaders in Europe are worried about the ramifications of a possible Donald Trump win in the November presidential election.

And nuclear threats are coming out of Russia thick and fast as Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine drags on.

Macron said he wanted to open up conversations about “missile defence, long-range weapons and nuclear weapons” across Europe.

The French premier, who has been incredibly vocal about stepping up defence in the face of Putin, said we need a “credible European defence”.

The current US-led Nato alliance, he believes, does not offer enough protection.

France, he says, “is ready to contribute more to the defence of European soil,” independently from America, offering up the 300-ballistic and cruise missile store.

Trump warned just days ago that he will let Russia do “whatever the hell it wants” to Nato members who don’t step up in giving 2 per cent of their GDP to defence.

German minister Lindner dubbed this: “a call to further rethink this element of European security under the umbrella of NATO”.

The UK and France are Europe’s primary nuclear powers and have independent control over their own significant weapons arsenals.

But Russia’s nuclear stores dwarf their collective power, with the world’s most extensive and varied collection by a considerable amount.

Even the US has fewer nukes.

FRESH NUKE THREAT

Just this weekend, one of Putin’s state TV propaganda puppets issued a fresh nuclear threat against the West.

Dmitry Kiselyov warned: “If NATO countries deploy their forces to Ukraine in order to deal strategic defeat to Russia, then that very moment will come of which Putin has spoken.

“In that case, we’ll send everything flying everywhere! Sarmat, Yars and Avangard missiles.

“American decision-making centres and launch sites on land and sea are already in our crosshairs.

“France, as a nuclear power, will have to be disarmed in an instant.

“The British isles will simply go underwater. We have the technologies for this.”

By referring to “American decision-making centres and launch sites”, Kiselyov was referencing bases across Europe in allied countries.

Just days ago Moscow warned that Nato’s nuclear weapons and facilities would be targeted if they are deployed in Poland.

A EUROPEAN DEFENCE FRAMEWORK

Macron is suggesting France’s nuclear arsenal of submarine-launched ballistic missiles and air-launched cruise missiles are shared around the continent.

He urged: “French doctrine is that we can use [nuclear arms] when our vital interests are at stake … There is a European dimension in these vital interests.

“I am in favour of opening this debate, which must therefore include missile defence, long-range weapons and nuclear weapons for those who have them or who have American nuclear weapons on their soil.

“France will keep its specificity, but it is ready to contribute more to the defence of European soil.”

And last week he doubled down on a specifically European network of defence: “The European pillar of Nato that we are building is essential. But we should build a European defence framework.

“We have to … build a Europe able to show that it is never a vassal of the US.”

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/11216916/europe-russia-france-uk-nuclear-umbrella-missiles

A month-long outdoor display of tanks and other military equipment that Russia captured in Ukraine took place in Victory Park prior to the nation’s Victory Day festivities

After capturing some American and British tanks from the front lines in Ukraine, Vladimir Putin triumphantly showed them off in Moscow.

Among the cars seen parked in the Russian capital with red banners proclaiming “Our victory is inevitable” was a British Saxon armoured personnel carrier, which is thought to have been donated to Ukraine in 2015.

The exhibit, which runs for a month, also includes a Swedish CV90, an American Bradley tank, and an armoured fighting vehicle built in France called the AMX-10RC. In an effort to celebrate the invasion of Ukraine, the Russian president also intends to parade the armoured cars, some of which will fly US and British flags.

In honour of Russia’s victory over Nazi Germany in World War ll, the exhibition will take place on May 9th, concurrently with Moscow’s Red Square Victory Day Parade.

In addition, a Swedish CV90, an American Bradley tank, and a French-built AMX-10RC armoured fighting vehicle will be present. Putin launched into a furious 10-minute address in front of the Kremlin on May 9 of last year, denouncing “Western global elites” and asserting that civilization was at “a decisive turning point.”

In Russia, the most important day of the year is the festival honouring the Soviet triumph in World War Two. Putin compares his invasion of Ukraine to Russia’s struggle against the Nazis.

Ukraine, which lost proportionately more ground to Russia during World War Two, accuses Russia of abusing its common past to support aggression.

Source : https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/vladimir-putin-flaunts-captured-tanks-32699714

The Sun revealed in February that Mad Vlad was turning to rusting Cold War tanks after suffering huge vehicle losses on the frontline

RUSSIA has lost an enormous 450,000 soldiers and 3,000 precious tanks in Ukraine, according to a UK tally.

The humiliating blow for Putin means Moscow has lost an average of 560 troops a day since he unleashed his bloodbath invasion two years ago.

It is 100,000 more than the previous UK estimate shared in February by Britain’s Defence Intelligence.

And Russia’s losses have surged to 1,300 troops a day in just the last two months.

The eye-watering casualty figures don’t include mercenary groups like Wagner who were famously slaughtered during “human wave” assaults in the meat grinder battle of Bakhmut last year.

In December the UK said 20,000 of Wagner’s soldiers had been killed and another 40,000 had been injured.

The latest figures also don’t account for the humiliating “tens of thousands” of soldiers who have deserted Putin’s armed forces.

They refer to the Russian soldiers taken out of battle by death or injury at the hands of Kyiv’s impressive and resilient army.

Armed Forces Minister Leo Doherty also estimates Moscow has lost almost 3,000 tanks – up from 2,000 a year ago.

The Sun exclusively revealed in February that Putin had lost almost all of his valuable tank force since invading Ukraine.

We reported that Russia had been forced to turn to mothballed and rusting weapons from the Cold War after losing almost 3,000 tanks.

Former Brigadier Ben Barry, who served in the British Army, told The Sun that Putin’s crumbling forces had maybe two to three years left worth of resources.

Former Scots Guards officer Doherty said of the latest intelligence estimate: “We estimate that approximately 450,000 Russian military personnel have been killed or wounded, and tens of thousands more have already deserted since the start of the conflict.”

He added: “The number of personnel killed serving in Russian private military companies is not clear.

“We also estimate that over 10,000 Russian armoured vehicles, including nearly 3,000 main battle tanks, 109 fixed wing aircraft, 136 helicopters, 346 unmanned aerial vehicles, 23 naval vessels of all classes, and over 1,500 artillery systems of all types have been destroyed, abandoned, or captured by Ukraine since the start of the conflict.”

Death tolls are closely guarded secrets and notoriously hard to track as both sides have an incentive to play down their own losses and exaggerate their enemy’s toll.

The latest UK estimate is broadly inline with Kyiv’s claims that Russia has lost 470,000 troops since the start of the full scale invasion on Feb 24 2022.

Previously UK officials have said Russia’s dead to wounded ratio was roughly one to four, which suggests at least 90,000 Russian soldiers have died.

A joint investigation by the BBC and independent Mediazona found at least 50,000 Russian soldiers had died.

They trawled cemeteries for fresh gravestones, official public recored and death announcements shared by friends and relatives on social media.

And they said the real figure was “likely to be much higher”.

In December Britain said around 50,000 Russian troops had been killed as well as 20,000 Wagner mercenaries.

The latest UK claim that Russia has lost almost 3,000 tanks chimes exactly with the Oryx blog that tracks visually confirmed losses.

It says Russia has lost 2,936 tanks of which 1,960 were destroyed, 514 were captured, 308 were abandoned and 154 were damaged.

The London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies said Russia had “lost more than 3,000 main battle tanks” in February.

It said: “Its full-scale invasion has cost Russia more than 3,000 main battle tanks, roughly as many as the Kremlin had in its active inventory before February 2022.

“Russia has been drawing on stored equipment to replenish losses.”

Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/11217826/putin-ukraine-russia-losses-tanks-soldiers-aircraft-intelligence

Ukraine’s top commander said on Sunday (Apr 28) Kyiv’s outnumbered troops had fallen back to new positions west of three villages on the eastern front where Russia has concentrated significant forces in several locations.

The statement by Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi reflected Ukraine’s deteriorating position in the east that Kyiv hopes it can stabilise once it takes delivery of US weapons under a US$61 billion aid package approved this week.

“The situation at the front has worsened,” he wrote on the Telegram app, describing the “most difficult” areas as west of occupied Maryinka and northwest of Avdiivka, the town captured by Russian forces in February.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued a fresh plea to international partners to speed arms deliveries so Kyiv could maintain its positions and disrupt Russian plans.

He said he spoke on Sunday with US House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and “underscored that Patriot systems are needed, and as soon as possible”.

Syrskyi said Kyiv’s troops, had taken up new positions west of the villages of Berdychi and Semenivka, both north of Avdiivka, and Novomykhailivka, further south near the town of Maryinka.

“In general, the enemy achieved certain tactical successes in these areas, but could not gain operational advantages,” Syrskyi said, adding that Russia had committed four brigades to the assault.

Freshly rested Ukrainian brigades were being rotated in those areas to replace units that had suffered losses, he said.

His statement did not mention the status of Novobakhmutivka, another village near Berdychi, that Russia’s defence ministry said on Sunday its forces had captured.

Moscow’s troops have been slowly advancing since capturing the bastion town of Avdiivka, taking advantage of Ukrainian shortages of artillery shells and manpower.

Online battlefield maps produced by open-source intelligence analysts suggest they have advanced more than 15km in the direction of the village of Ocheretyne since capturing Avdiivka.

Further up the front, the Kyiv-held town of Chasiv Yar is a key emerging battleground because of its position on elevated ground that could serve as a gateway to the cities of Kostiantynivka, Sloviansk and Kramatorsk.

Source : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/ukraine-pulls-back-zelenskyy-pleads-weapons-4298856

Anti-Israel demonstrators at Harvard University were caught on camera flying a Palestinian flag in a spot generally reserved for the American flag

Amid widespread anti-Israel protests across US universities, demonstrators at Harvard University were caught on camera flying a Palestinian flag in a spot generally reserved for the American flag. A video showed three students at the Ivy League school raising the Palestinian flag over the statue of John Harvard. This is where the Stars & Stripes is supposed to fly.

The Harvard Crimson reported that the incident took place shortly after 6 pm on Saturday, April 27. Three flags were hoisted at the campus. According to a university spokesperson, the students violated Harvard’s policy.

“The flags raised by protesters over University Hall were removed by Harvard facilities staff,” the spokesperson told New York Post. “The actions are a violation of University policy and the individuals involved will be subject to disciplinary action.”

The flagpole at the Harvard statue usually flies the American flag. However, it has also flown flags of visiting foreign dignitaries when they came by the campus.

At the time the Palestinian flag was hoisted, the US flag was reportedly not flying. Anti-Israel protesters were shouting “Free, free Palestine.”

See more

US 🇺🇲 flag at @Harvard removed and replaced by Palestine 🇵🇸 flag.

This has nothing to do with Israel, and everything to do with toppling US and the Western civilization.

pic.twitter.com/2hwANS8Jfn

— Dr. Eli David (@DrEliDavid) April 28, 2024

‘What a fall from grace’

X user Dr. Eli David shared a video of the incident on the social media platform. Angry users flocked to the comment section, with one user saying, “Any college student involved with Pro Palestine protests and removing the American flag should be an automatic suspension!” “If the Palestine flag means so much to these students move to Palestine. Leave the US. Harvard needs to suspend any and all students involved,” one user said, while another wrote, “As a Harvard grad I can’t understand why they don’t stop this.”

Source : https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/us-news/columbia-university-stands-firm-no-divestment-from-israel-students-protests-require-approval-101714402690097.html

Demonstrators in the UK’s capital wore masks of Toomaj Salehi’s face and carried signs reading “death sentence for rapping” after an Iranian court sentenced the rapper to death for his involvement in women’s rights protests.

Demonstrators protested in London on Sunday against the death sentence imposed on a rapper by a court in Iran.

They wore masks of Toomaj Salehi’s face and erected a mock gallows outside Downing Street.

The 33-year-old rapper was sentenced to death by a court in the Iranian city of Isfahan earlier this week for his support of the Woman, Life, Freedom movement.

Through his music, Salehi supported months of demonstrations in Iran sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022.

She died in police custody after being arrested by morality police for allegedly wearing an “improper hijab”.

During the protests that followed, Salehi was one of “the leaders of the riots who promoted violence”, according to news site Iran International, citing Fars news agency which is affiliated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.

Iranian flags and placards, including one reading “free Toomaj Salehi – death sentence for rapping”, were carried by the protesters in London.

Salehi is known for using his lyrics to criticise the Islamic Republic of Iran, highlighting corruption, poverty, state executions and the killing of protesters.

He was arrested in October 2022 and was sentenced to six years in prison in 2023, avoiding a death sentence after a ruling by Iran’s Supreme Court.

But that ruling appears to have been ignored.

“[This court], in an unprecedented move, did not enforce the Supreme Court’s ruling… and sentenced Salehi to the harshest punishment,” said Salehi’s lawyer to the Iranian newspaper Shargh on Wednesday.

Salehi has 20 days to appeal the ruling.

“We will definitely appeal this verdict,” his lawyer said.

Source : https://news.sky.com/story/protests-in-london-over-death-sentence-imposed-on-iranian-rapper-toomaj-salehi-13125408

Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Monday described domestic violence as a “national crisis” after thousands rallied around the country against violence toward women.

Thousands protested in cities around Australia on Sunday to draw attention to the deaths of 27 women so far this year allegedly caused by acts of gender-based violence in a population of 27 million.

Albanese said on Monday the rallies were a call to action for all levels of Australian government to do more to prevent gender-based violence.

“Quite clearly, we need to do more. It’s not enough to just have empathy,” Albanese told Nine Network television.

“The fact that … a woman dies every four days on average at the hand of a partner is just a national crisis,” he added.

There were 17 rallies held across Australia over the weekend, with an estimated 15,000 people demonstrating in the city of Melbourne.

Albanese said he will host a meeting or Australian state and territory leaders on W

ednesday to discuss a coordinated response.

Albanese, his Women’s Minister Katy Gallagher and Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth received a hostile response when they attended a rally in the capital Canberra on Sunday.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/australia-domestic-violence-women-canberra-albanese-4734685053906ec5463043a51f1ea148

U.S. intelligence officials have determined that Russian President Vladimir Putin likely didn’t order the death of imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny in February, according to an official familiar with the determination.

While U.S. officials believe Putin was ultimately responsible for the death of Navalny, who endured brutal conditions during his confinement, the intelligence community has found “no smoking gun” that Putin was aware of the timing of Navalny’s death — which came soon before the Russian president’s reelection — or directly ordered it, according to the official.

The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter.

Soon after Navalny’s death, U.S. President Joe Biden said Putin was ultimately responsible but did not accuse the Russian president of directly ordering it.

At the time, Biden said the U.S. did not know exactly what had happened to Navalny but that “there is no doubt” that his death “was the consequence of something that Putin and his thugs did.”

Navalny, 47, Russia’s best-known opposition politician and Putin’s most persistent foe, died Feb. 16 in a remote penal colony above the Arctic Circle while serving a 19-year sentence on extremism charges that he rejected as politically motivated.

He had been behind bars since January 2021 after returning to Russia from Germany, where he had been recovering from nerve-agent poisoning that he blamed on the Kremlin.

Russian officials have said only that Navalny died of natural causes and have vehemently denied involvement both in the poisoning and in his death.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/navalny-death-putin-russia-us-intelligence-0ed248bbe00a707b1a1b4ce1d61fcc9d

The White House on Sunday said U.S. President Joe Biden had again spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as pressure builds on Israel and Hamas to reach a deal that would free some Israeli hostages and bring a cease-fire in the nearly seven-month-long war in Gaza.

The White House said that Biden reiterated his “clear position” as Israel plans to invade Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah despite global concern for more than 1 million Palestinians sheltering there. The U.S. opposes the invasion on humanitarian grounds, straining relations between the allies. Israel is among the countries U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit as he returns to the Middle East on Monday.

Biden also stressed that progress in delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza be “sustained and enhanced,” according to the statement. The call lasted just under an hour, and they agreed the onus remains on Hamas to accept the latest offer in negotiations, according to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the official wasn’t authorized to comment publicly. There was no comment from Netanyahu’s office.

A senior official from key intermediary Qatar, meanwhile, urged Israel and Hamas to show “more commitment and more seriousness” in negotiations. Qatar, which hosts Hamas’ headquarters in Doha, was instrumental along with the U.S. and Egypt in helping negotiate a brief halt to the fighting in November that led to the release of dozens of hostages. But in a sign of frustration, Qatar this month said that it was reassessing its role.

An Israeli delegation is expected in Egypt in the coming days to discuss the latest proposals in negotiations, and senior Hamas official Basem Naim said in a message to The Associated Press that a delegation from the militant group will also head to Cairo. Egypt’s state-owned Al Qahera News satellite television channel said that the delegation would arrive on Monday.

The comments by Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari in interviews with the liberal daily Haaretz and Israeli public broadcaster Kan were published and aired Saturday evening.

Al-Ansari expressed disappointment with Hamas and Israel, saying each side has made decisions based on political interests and not with civilians’ welfare in mind. He didn’t reveal details on the talks other than to say they have “effectively stopped,” with “both sides entrenched in their positions.”

Al-Ansari’s remarks came after an Egyptian delegation discussed with Israeli officials a “new vision” for a prolonged cease-fire in Gaza, according to an Egyptian official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to freely discuss developments.

The Egyptian official said that Israeli officials are open to discussing establishing a permanent cease-fire in Gaza as part of the second phase of a deal. Israel has refused to end the war until it defeats Hamas.

The second phase would start after the release of civilian and sick hostages, and would include negotiating the release of soldiers, the official added. Senior Palestinian prisoners would be released and a reconstruction process launched.

Negotiations earlier this month centered on a six-week cease-fire proposal and the release of 40 civilian and sick hostages held by Hamas in exchange for freeing hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

A letter written by Biden and 17 other world leaders urged Hamas to release their citizens immediately. In recent days, Hamas has released new videos of three hostages, an apparent push for Israel to make concessions.

The growing pressure for Hamas and Israel to reach a cease-fire deal is also meant to avert an Israeli attack on Rafah, the city on the border with Egypt where more than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million population is seeking shelter. Israel has massed dozens of tanks and armored vehicles. The planned incursion has raised global alarm.

“Only a small strike is all it takes to force everyone to leave Palestine,” Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas asserted to the opening session of the World Economic Forum in Saudi Arabia, adding that he believed an invasion would happen within days.

But White House national security spokesman John Kirby told ABC that Israel “assured us they won’t go into Rafah until we’ve had a chance to really share our perspectives and concerns with them. So, we’ll see where that goes.”

The Israeli troop buildup may also be a pressure tactic on Hamas in talks. Israel sees Rafah as Hamas’ last major stronghold. It vows to destroy the group’s military and governing capabilities.

Aid groups have warned that an invasion of Rafah would worsen the already desperate humanitarian situation in Gaza, where hunger is widespread. About 400 tons of aid arrived Sunday at the Israeli port of Ashdod — the largest shipment yet by sea via Cyprus — according to the United Arab Emirates. It wasn’t immediately clear how or when it would be delivered into Gaza.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-04-28-2024-78410c1eaf671008cd60dccc00b44ee4

The UK currently has “measles free” status – but that will be reviewed in September by the World Health Organization and could be lost. Globally, measles cases increased by 88% between 2022 and 2023.

Measles cases nearly doubled globally between 2022 and 2023, researchers say.

There were 321,582 cases worldwide in 2023 – an 88% increase from the previous year, when 171,153 cases were recorded.

Total cases for 2024 look on track to at least match last year’s numbers, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Some countries could now lose their “elimination status” when it is reviewed in September, the WHO’s Dr Patrick O’Connor warned at the ESCMID Global Congress in Barcelona on Saturday.

The UK was declared measles-free by the WHO in 2017, but had this status stripped from it in 2019 after a surge in cases.

Measures designed to stop the spread of COVID also interrupted measles transmission, and the UK regained its elimination status in 2021.

But England is facing a measles emergency, with almost 900 cases recorded this year – a sharp increase from 368 cases in all of 2023.

Health workers say the current outbreak, which started in the West Midlands last year, has now spread to every region of the country.

The main symptoms of measles are a high fever, sore and red watery eyes, coughing, sneezing and a rash that usually appears after the initial symptoms.

Measles vaccinations in the UK were introduced in 1968 and, until recently, the widespread take-up had all but eradicated the disease. But vaccination rates have been falling.

Dr O’Connor said: “The measles virus is extremely infectious and any gaps in immunisation coverage are potential risk for outbreak. So, coverage needs to high but also uniform and equitable.

“Large outbreak and continuous transmissions of measles are always a concern and can making achieving and maintaining elimination challenging.”

He said the measles vaccination had prevented an estimated 57 million deaths between 2000 and 2022.

Source : https://news.sky.com/story/measles-cases-worldwide-almost-double-in-a-year-as-england-faces-measles-emergency-13124811

Two journalists are arrested on “extremism” charges and are accused of producing work for a YouTube channel run by Navalny’s Foundation for Fighting Corruption, which has been outlawed in Russia. They will be detained for at least two months before any trial begins.

Two Russian journalists could face at least two years in prison after they were arrested on “extremism” charges, accused of working for a group founded by the late Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny.

Konstantin Gabov and Sergey Karelin are accused of preparing materials for a YouTube channel run by Navalny’s Foundation for Fighting Corruption, which has been outlawed by Russian authorities.

Russian courts have ordered them to remain in custody pending an investigation and trial.

They will be detained for at least two months before any trial begins.

They face a minimum of two years’ jail time and a maximum of six years for alleged “participation in an extremist organisation”, according to Russian courts.

Both journalists deny the charges.

The journalists are the latest to be arrested amid a Russian government crackdown on dissent and independent media that intensified after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The Russian government passed laws criminalising what it deems false information or discreditory statements about the military, effectively outlawing any criticism of the war in Ukraine.

Mr Gabov, who was detained in Moscow, is a freelance producer who has worked for multiple outlets, including Reuters, the court press service said.

Mr Karelin, who has dual citizenship with Israel and has previously worked for The Associated Press, was detained on Friday night in Russia’s northern Murmansk region.

“The Associated Press is very concerned by the detention of Russian video journalist Sergey Karelin,” the AP said in a statement. “We are seeking additional information.”

Source : https://news.sky.com/story/russian-journalists-jailed-over-alleged-work-for-alexei-navalny-group-13124972

Three police officers were killed on Saturday in southern Chile during what President Gabriel Boric called a cowardly attack that led him to declare three days of national mourning.

The attack occurred in the municipality of Canete, in Arauco province, when the officers responded to three false emergency calls, authorities said.

The officers were attacked in their vehicle with heavy-caliber weapons and burned, the authorities said.

The region where the attack took place is home to long-running tensions between the state and the South American country’s Mapuche Indigenous people.

“This morning we received the serious and painful news of an attack in the province of Arauco, in which three police officers were killed. We coordinated immediate actions to respond to this cowardly attack,” Boric said in a message via social media platform X, before traveling to where the attack took place.

“We will find the whereabouts of the perpetrators of this terrible crime,” he said.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/chiles-president-boric-declares-national-mourning-period-after-3-police-officers-2024-04-27

Pope Francis made his first trip out of Rome for seven months on Sunday with a packed visit to Venice that took in an art exhibition, a prison and a Mass, with the 87-year pontiff acknowledging that life could be hard.

Hobbled by recent bouts of ill-heath, the pope read out three speeches and a homily during his five-hour stay, moving around the lagoon city by wheelchair, golf buggy and motorlaunch.

Although he appeared well and spoke in a clear voice, he also made a rare acknowledgement of the strains of the job.

“Please pray for me because this work is not easy,” he told thousands of faithful gathered in St Mark’s Square.

He started the day by flying by helicopter into a women’s prison where the Vatican has set up an exhibition that is part of the Venice Biennale — a prestigious international art show that has never been visited by a pope before.

The unusual decision to house the Holy See pavilion in a jail highlighted Francis’ repeated calls for society to rally around the poor and neglected, including prison populations.

“Prison is a harsh reality, and problems such as overcrowding, the lack of facilities and resources, and episodes of violence, give rise to a great deal of suffering. But it can also become a place of moral and material rebirth,” he told inmates and guards on Sunday.

“Let us not forget that we all have mistakes to be forgiven and wounds to heal,” he said, before meeting some of the artists who put together the exhibition entitled “Through My Eyes”.

Francis then addressed a group of young Venetians in front of the Santa Maria della Salute basilica, urging them not to spend their life glued to their smartphones, but to help others.

“If we always focus on our self, our needs, and what we lack, we will always find ourselves back at the starting point, crying over ourselves with a long face,” he said.

PONTOON BRIDGE

The Venice visit was the pope’s first trip beyond Rome since a brief journey to France last September. He had been due to go to the United Arab Emirates in December, but pulled out after coming down with influenza and unexpectedly withdrew from a Good Friday procession in March “to preserve his health”.

A painful knee ailment makes it hard for him to walk and on Sunday he regularly used a wheelchair, with Vatican News Television cutting away whenever he was helped into a chair to give a speech, or onto his white golf cart.

To let the pope easily reach St. Mark’s Square in the heart of Venice, workers erected a pontoon bridge spanning the Grand Canal that he was driven across, watched by hundreds of onlookers on land and in boats and gondolas.

Francis acknowledged Venice’s “enchanting beauty” in his homily at a Mass before some 10,000 people in the shadow of St. Mark’s Basilica, one of the most celebrated churches in Italy.

But he said the city also faced an array of challenges, including climate change, the fragility of its cultural heritage, and overtourism.

Source : https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/fragile-pope-back-road-with-day-trip-venice-2024-04-28

Israeli air strikes on three houses in the southern Gaza city of Rafah killed 13 people and wounded many others, medics said on Monday.

Hamas media outlets put the death toll at 15.

In Gaza City, in the north of the strip, Israeli planes struck two houses, killing and wounding several people, health officials said.
The strikes on Rafah, where over a million people are sheltering from months of Israeli bombardment, came hours before Egypt was expected to host leaders of the Islamist group Hamas to discuss prospects for a ceasefire agreement with Israel.

The war was triggered by an attack by Hamas militants on Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 and taking 253 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

Israel has vowed to eradicate Hamas, which controls Gaza, in a military operation that has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, 66 of them in the past 24 hours, according to Gaza’s health authorities. The war has displaced most of the 2.3 million population and laid much of the enclave to waste.

On Sunday, Hamas officials said a delegation, led by Khalil Al-Hayya, the group’s deputy Gaza chief, would discuss a ceasefire proposal handed by Hamas to mediators from Qatar and Egypt, as well as Israel’s response. Mediators, backed by the United States, have stepped up their efforts to conclude a deal as Israel threatened to invade Rafah.

Two Hamas officials who spoke to Reuters did not disclose details of the latest proposals, but a source briefed on the talks told Reuters Hamas is expected to respond to Israel’s latest truce proposal delivered on Saturday.

The source said this included an agreement to accept the release of fewer than 40 hostages in exchange for releasing Palestinians held in Israeli jails and to a second phase of a truce that includes a “period of sustained calm” – Israel’s compromise response to a Hamas demand for a permanent ceasefire.

After the first phase, Israel would allow free movement between south and north Gaza and a partial withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, the source said.

A senior Hamas official told Reuters the Monday talks in Cairo will take place between the Hamas delegation and the Qatari and the Egyptian mediators to discuss remarks the group has made over the Israeli response to its recent proposal.

“Hamas has some questions and inquires over the Israeli response to its proposal, which the movement received from mediators on Friday,” the official told Reuters.

Those comments suggested Hamas may not hand an instant response to mediators over Israel’s latest proposal.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/least-13-palestinians-killed-israeli-strikes-rafah-medical-officials-say-2024-04-28

Journalists plan strike after anti-fascist writer dropped from TV show at last minute

Journalists at Italy’s state broadcaster are planning to go on strike next month in protest at the “suffocating control” over their work by the country’s right-wing government.

Workers at RAI have a raft of grievances, including what they say are political attempts to turn the broadcaster into a mouthpiece for the government.

Other issues include staff shortages and the cancellation of an agreement over performance bonuses, according to the reporters’ trade union, Usigrai, which announced the 24-hour strike for 6 May.

Since Giorgia Meloni became prime minister in 2022, several high-profile executives and presenters have left RAI, lamenting “government interference”, and critics have expressed alarm over legislation proposed by her Brothers of Italy party to increase punishments for defamation.

Political influence over RAI is a long-standing issue, which came to a head last weekend over the last-minute cancellation of a talk-show appearance by Antonio Scurati, an anti-fascist writer and academic.

He had been due to read a monologue marking the national holiday on Thursday that celebrated Italy’s liberation from fascism, in which he criticised Ms Meloni’s party for not repudiating its “post-fascist past”. He also accused the prime minister of trying to rewrite history.

Italian newspapers have since published his piece.

Television officials and the prime minister denied censoring Mr Scurati’s monologue, with the company saying only it had been dropped for “editorial reasons” and including his “high fee”.

Ms Meloni, whose party traces its roots back to wartime dictator Benito Mussolini’s fascists, has decried all forms of totalitarianism and spoken of her aversion to fascism. But she avoids defining herself as “anti-fascist”, despite frequent calls for her to do so.

Successive governments have handed out top jobs at RAI to loyal protégés. Its board members, appointed by parliament and the government, are picked according to their party affiliation.

Proposals to make the broadcaster more independent have been discussed for years but have never achieved results.

Source : https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/italy-media-broadcaster-censorship-strike-meloni-b2535435.html

It’s been almost 20 years since Dan Rather signed off from the anchor desk here at CBS News. Of the so-called “Big Three” TV anchormen back in the day, watched by some 50 million people a night, Rather was there the longest, almost a quarter-century.

In his 44 years with CBS, Rather held every post a network reporter could: bureau chief, war correspondent, foreign correspondent, White House correspondent.

But in 2006, a little more than a year after he stepped down from the anchor desk, Rather left CBS itself. “Dan Rather, CBS News, became sorta all part of my name, a part of my identity,” he said.

This is the first time he’s appeared on this network since: “Without apology or explanation, I miss CBS. I’ve missed it since the day I left there.”

Even at 92, how and why he left still stings. He said, “In the heart of every reporter worthy of their name, Lee, there’s a message that news, real news is what somebody somewhere — particularly somebody in power – doesn’t want you to know. That’s news.”

And that’s what got him into trouble.

In 2004 Rather filed a report for “60 Minutes II” that questioned George W. Bush’s service record in the Texas Air National Guard, reporting on “new documents and new information” about the president’s military service. But the documents on which Rather and his producer based their reporting could not be later authenticated.

On September 20, 2004, Rather broadcast an apology. “It was a mistake,” he said. “CBS News deeply regrets it. Also, I want to say, personally and directly, I’m sorry.”

Asked if that was his lowest point, Rather replied, “Of course, it was the lowest point. I gave CBS News everything I had. They had smarter, better, more talented people, but they didn’t have anybody who worked any harder than I did.”

I’d only been at CBS a few years by then, during which Dan Rather had kindly and unexpectedly taken me under his wing. He made me feel welcome.

Minus the suspenders and his cigars, Rather remains just as I remember him: an intently curious, thoughtful, well-read skeptic, who wants nothing more than to wear out his shoe-leather chasing the next headline.

Asked what made him want to become a reporter in the first place, Rather said, “I’ve never quite known the answer to that question. All I know is, it’s the only thing I ever wanted to be, was a reporter. I get up every morning and as soon as my feet hit the ground, I say, where’s the story?”

Source : https://www.cbsnews.com/news/dan-rather-at-92-on-a-life-in-news

Tornadoes killed four people in Oklahoma, including an infant, and left thousands without power Sunday after a destructive outbreak of severe weather flattened buildings in the heart of one rural town and injured at least 100 people across the state.

More than 20,000 people were still without electricity hours after tornadoes began late Saturday night. The destruction was extensive in Sulphur, a town of about 5,000 people, where a tornado crumpled many downtown buildings, tossed cars and buses and sheared the roofs off houses across a 15-block radius.

“You just can’t believe the destruction,” Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt said during a visit to the hard-hit town. “It seems like every business downtown has been destroyed.”

Stitt said about 30 people were injured in Sulphur, including some who were in a bar as the tornado struck. Hospitals across the state reported about 100 injuries, including people apparently cut or struck by debris, according to the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management. An infant was among those killed, Hughes County Emergency Management Director Mike Dockrey told Oklahoma television station KOCO.

“You just can’t believe the destruction,” Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt said during a visit to the hard-hit town. “It seems like every business downtown has been destroyed.”

Stitt said about 30 people were injured in Sulphur, including some who were in a bar as the tornado struck. Hospitals across the state reported about 100 injuries, including people apparently cut or struck by debris, according to the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management. An infant was among those killed, Hughes County Emergency Management Director Mike Dockrey told Oklahoma television station KOCO.

“How do you rebuild it? This is complete devastation,” said Kelly Trussell, a lifelong Sulphur resident as she surveyed the damage. “It is crazy, you want to help but where do you start?”

Carolyn Goodman traveled to Sulphur from the nearby town of Ada in search of her former sister-in-law, who Goodman said was at a local bar just before the tornado hit the area. Stitt said one of the victims was found inside a bar but authorities had not yet identified those killed.

“The bar was destroyed,” Goodman said. “I know they probably won’t find her alive … but I hope she is still alive.”

Farther north, a tornado near the town of Holdenville killed two people and damaged or destroyed more than a dozen homes, according to the Hughes County Emergency Medical Service. Another person was killed along Interstate 35 near the southern Oklahoma city of Marietta, state officials said.

Heavy rains that swept into Oklahoma with the tornadoes also caused dangerous flooding and water rescues. Outside Sulphur, rising lake levels shut down the Chickasaw National Recreation Area, where the storms wiped out a pedestrian bridge.

Stitt issued an executive order Sunday declaring a state of emergency in 12 counties due to the fallout from the severe weather.

At the Sulphur High School gym, where families took cover from the storm, Jackalyn Wright said she and her family heard what sounded like a helicopter as the tornado touched down over them.

Chad Smith, 43, said people ran into the gym as the wind picked up. The rain started coming faster and the doors slammed shut. “Just give me a beer and a lawn chair and I will sit outside and watch it,” Smith said. Instead, he took cover.

Residents in other states were also digging out from storm damage. A tornado in suburban Omaha, Nebraska, demolished homes and businesses Saturday as it moved for miles through farmland and into subdivisions, then slammed an Iowa town.

The tornado damage began Friday afternoon near Lincoln, Nebraska. An industrial building in Lancaster County was hit, causing it to collapse with 70 people inside. Several were trapped, but everyone was evacuated, and the three injuries were not life-threatening, authorities said.

One or possibly two tornadoes then spent around an hour creeping toward Omaha, leaving behind damage consistent with an EF3 twister, with winds of 135 to 165 mph (217 to 265 kph), said Chris Franks, a meteorologist in the National Weather Service’s Omaha office.

Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen and Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds spent Saturday touring the damage and arranging for assistance for the damaged communities. Formal damage assessments are still underway, but the states plan to seek federal help.

Source : https://apnews.com/article/tornadoes-storms-oklahoma-damage-3106c502a148f7ea969809cbd3b2d6ba

With the app facing another potential ban from the US, what would divesting it from ByteDance look like? And just how important is the algorithm?

This week’s TikTok news came with a strong feeling of déjà vu. Now, with the Biden administration giving up to a year for the app to be spun off from ByteDance or face a ban from the US, the question is: what happens next?

ByteDance has been clear that it will fight this new law in the courts on First Amendment grounds, which is how it successfully defeated the Trump administration’s 2020 ban attempt. After talking to sources in and around the company, I think spinning off TikTok is the last-resort measure for leadership. CEO Shou Chew and other execs encouraged staff to stay the course during a humdrum all-hands meeting at TikTok’s New York City headquarters earlier this week, according to two people in attendance.

Source : https://www.theverge.com/2024/4/26/24142045/what-happens-tiktok-us-ban-biden

Amid the M&A drama enveloping Paramount Global, Bob Bakish is about to step down as CEO after eight years at the helm of Shari Redstone’s media empire.

Bakish is expected to resign under pressure as early as Monday. The executive has been with Paramount and its Viacom predecessor since 1997. He was recruited by Redstone in 2016 to help bring order to a company that had descended into public legal brawling among shareholders and a battle for control between Redstone and former Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman. Word of Bakish’s pending exit first surfaced Friday in the Wall Street Journal.

At present, Paramount‘s board of directors is deep in exclusive acquisitions talks with Skydance Media and RedBird Capital. Another group, Sony Pictures and Apollo Global Management, is poised to field a formal all-cash offer for the company next week as the May 3 expiration date of the exclusive negotiating window with Skydance nears. As the Skydance talks have dragged on for months, it’s become clear that Skydance CEO David Ellison would take the helm of the enlarged Paramount-Skydance operation while RedBird senior executive Jeff Shell, formerly CEO of NBCUniversal and a longtime Comcast executive, would serve Ellison’s No. 2 overseeing day-to-day operations. There has been no pretense about carving out a role for Bakish.

A rep for Paramount Global declined to comment Saturday. The company is set to report its first quarter earnings on Monday. Bakish will not take part in the traditional conference call with analysts that accompanies quarterly earnings disclosures, CNBC reported.

Source : https://variety.com/2024/biz/news/ceo-bob-bakish-out-paramount-global-1235984507

The United States and China are butting heads over a number of contentious bilateral, regional and global issues as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets senior Chinese officials, including President Xi Jinping

The United States and China butted heads over a number of contentious bilateral, regional and global issues as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met on April 26 with senior Chinese officials and warned of the dangers of misunderstandings and miscalculations.

Mr. Blinken’s discussions started with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and then Public Security Minister Wang Xiaohong, who said Blinken would also see President Xi Jinping — a meeting that had been expected but not previously announced by either said. A State Department official confirmed that Blinken would meet the president before leaving the country.

Talks between the two sides have increased in recent months, even as differences have grown. Mr. Blinken and Mr. Wang underscored the importance of keeping lines of communication open, but they also lamented that divisions were becoming more serious in nature.

They each underscored the importance of keeping lines of communication open but they also lamented persistent and deepening divisions that threaten global security. Those divisions were highlighted earlier this week when U.S. President Joe Biden signed a massive foreign aid bill that contains several elements that the Chinese see as problematic.

Their comments hinted at a long list of differences to be discussed, including Taiwan and the South China Sea, and trade and human rights, China’s support for Russia and the production and export of synthetic opioid precursors.

“Overall, the China-U.S. relationship is beginning to stabilize,” Mr. Wang told Mr. Blinken at the start of about 5 1/2 hours of talks. “But at the same time, the negative factors in the relationship are still increasing and building and the relationship is facing all kinds of disruptions.”

“Should China and the United States keep to the right direction of moving forward with stability or return to a downward spiral?” he asked. “This is a major question before our two countries and tests our sincerity and ability.”

Wang also outlined, without being specific, well-known Chinese complaints about U.S. policies and positions on the South China Sea, Taiwan, human rights and China’s right to conduct relations with countries it deems fit.

“China’s legitimate development rights have been unreasonably suppressed and our core interests are facing challenges,” he said. “China’s concerns are consistent. We have always called for respect of each other’s core interests and urge the United States not to interfere in China’s internal affairs, not to hold China’s development back, and not to step on China’s red lines on China’s sovereignty, security, and development interests.”

Mr. Blinken responded by saying that the Biden administration places a premium on U.S. – China dialogue even on issues of dispute. He noted there had been some progress in the past year but suggested that talks would continue to be difficult.

“I look forward to these discussions being very clear, very direct about the areas where we have differences and where the United States stands, and I have no doubt you will do the same on behalf of China,” Mr. Blinken told Mr. Wang.

Pro-Palestinian protesters were arrested on a handful of U.S. university campuses on Saturday, as activists vowed to keep up the movement seeking a ceasefire in Israel’s war with Hamas among other demands.
The Indiana University police department in Bloomington said in an emailed statement that 23 protesters were arrested there.
Indiana State Police along with Indiana University police told demonstrators they could not pitch tents and camp on campus. When the tents were not removed, police arrested and transported protesters to the Monroe County Justice Center on charges of criminal trespass and resisting arrest.

“The Indiana University Police Department continues to support peaceful protests on campus that follow university policy,” the police statement read.
Pro-Palestinian protests have spread to college campuses across the U.S., stoked by the mass arrest of over 100 people on Columbia University’s campus last week.
In addition to a ceasefire, protesters are demanding that their schools divest from companies involved with Israel’s military and seeking an end to U.S. military assistance for Israel along with amnesty for students and faculty members who have been disciplined or fired for protesting.

School leaders at several universities have responded in the past week by asking police to clear out camps and arrest those who refuse to leave. While saying they defend free speech rights to protest, the leaders say they will not abide activists infringing on campus policies against hate speech or camping out on university grounds.
Massachusetts State Police said in statement that they helped cleared out a protest encampment at Northeastern University in Boston and that 102 protesters who refused to leave were arrested and will be charged with trespassing.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/police-arrest-scores-pro-palestinian-protesters-us-university-campuses-2024-04-27/